TWD Little Red
by xXCariCareGiverXx
Summary: Niya Braxton was raised to be self-sufficient, independent, and strong. She was never handed anything. She worked for everything she had. Those skills became useful when she went into the US Military. In her line of work she came prepared for it all, but when she went home for emergency leave, nothing could have prepared her for what she would be coming home to.
1. Prolouge

**Prologue: The Hunt**

It was a chilly morning in Dahlonega, Georgia as a young woman named Niya softly ran through the forest following a fresh trail of a deer whose hoofprints were heavily read through the mud. The trail was long-legged as though the deer was running, and soon the footprints became closer together. A sign the deer was slowing down. The young woman did the same and began to track carefully through the foliage. Any broken trig, any parting of the leaves, was a clue for her to follow. Soon she came upon an opening where what she was hunting was standing only a few feet away from her. Steadying her breathing, she slowly crouches down as she carefully retrieves the bow off her back. Looking at her target in front of her, she makes a soft whistling sound as she retrieves the arrow and begins to place its shaft on the arrow rest. The deer turns its head at the sound, as it moves its ears around to determine which way the sound came from. The deer takes a step forward opening up its body so that the woman could get a clearer shot at its lungs and heart.

When she takes aim, she hears a slight rustling in the distance, but she can't identify where it is coming from, but from the sounds of it, it sounds like someone isn't trailing far behind her. Looking back at her hunt, she draws back her bow and takes a deep breath as she releases her arrow. It whistles through the air as a hard thud is heard not far after the arrow has left it's resting place. The dear begins to run with its tail hung down. A sign that it has been hit. As she follows where the deer went, the rustling she heard from earlier is louder, and it seems to be moving at a very fast pace. There seemed to be a race going on, and she was determined to be the first.

When she arrived at the deer's resting place she was met with a crossbow in her face. Instinctively her hands went up to show she came in peace as she looked at the man whose face was mostly covered by his dark hair.

"My arrow was the first fatal; Lethal shot. It's mine."

The guy just stared at her, his crossbow still aimed at her head. She could hear him mumble under his breath as he stormed over to the deer and retrieved his arrow from the deer's high quarter. From what she could gather, they were trailing the same deer. They were probably even taking aim at the same time, and when she took her shot, he took his not far after. His arrow caught the deer on the run.

Taking a deep breath, the woman could tell how frustrated the man was before her. It made her think that he had more to feed than just him. How many more she couldn't be certain, but enough to cause her to worry.

"Hey."

Calling out to him, the man didn't even hesitate at the sound of her voice addressing him as he kept trucking along through the brush.

"Hey!"

She yelled in a commanding voice which seemed to get his attention. He stopped, juggling his arrow in his hand in deliberation before he finally turned his head to look over his shoulder at her. Sighing, Niya had only one question to ask him as she couldn't help but muse over the angel wings he had embroidered on the back of the black leather vest he was wearing.

"You have people?"

The man didn't say anything, but when his gaze fell from hers as soon as she asked, it let her know all she needed to know. Walking up to the deer she worked so hard to get, she pulled out her arrow and wiped the blood contents off it in the brush.

"Take it."

Niya says as she puts the arrow back in her quiver. The man turned fully towards her with a bewildered expression on his face. The only question she could read on him was, "Why?" and without skipping a beat she answered his unasked question.

"From the look on your face. You have a lot more to feed than I do. Consider it a peace offering. A gift. An I owe you. Whatever makes you feel better about taking it."

The man seemed to be skeptical at first, as though this was some sort of trap. A test maybe. Whatever it was she wasn't going to stick around to find out what questions he wanted to be answered. She began to head in the opposite direction he was going, but she didn't even make it five feet away from him before she heard his voice.

"How many walkers have you killed?"

The question caused her to stop in her tracks, but unlike him, she didn't turn around to face him. Lost in memories that will always haunt her mind as her hand tightened around her bow's grip. A tactic she uses to help her subdue her true emotions.

Clearing her throat, she answers his question as though she was answering it to herself.

"Not enough."

After she answered, she kept walking, but that didn't seem to stop the man from pursuing her. He caught up to her to the point where she was in earshot, and again he asked her another question.

"How many people?"

Niya couldn't help but swallow hard before answering him.

"I don't keep count. Don't need to."

When she heard him start to come closer, she knew she had to think of a way to get rid of him. So she stopped and turned slightly toward him.

"You best get back to that deer before the dead men come for it. Would hate to see it go to waste."

She knew feeding his people was more important than following some stranger into the woods who could be leading you down the path of the unknown. Besides, if he really wanted to find her, he could come back and track her down. Something he was clearly good at.

The further she got away from the man, the quieter his footsteps became. It made her let out a breath of relief as she did all she could to cover up her trail, but even she knew she couldn't cover up her trail completely. Just enough to slow em' down so that by the time they find their camp, they would be long gone.

* * *

When Niya arrived back, she couldn't help but notice her father sitting on a rotting out log by a small fire. He must have built it while she was away. It was an achievement all in itself. Her father was more of a man to put them out than starting them. His eyes seemed fixated at the flames to the point where he didn't even realize she had entered in their lined out parameter of hanging cans. Her father looked tired as his grays around his head made it seem like he wore a black crown atop his head. Putting her bow down along with the quiver on her back, she stopped in mid-motion as her father finally spoke.

"You get it?"

She was quiet for a moment. Wondering if she should tell him what really happened or lie. The man she came in contact with seemed harmless enough, but if her dad found out about him there is no telling what he may do.

"No. Lost her at the river."

When he didn't respond with some sort of inquiry of how or some reassurance that there is always the next time, Niya looked over to her father who seemed to have his mind on other things. It was almost like he wasn't listening to her at all.

"Dad?"

She kept calling out to him while she slowly moved in closer so not to startle him before she crouched down beside him, and slowly places a hand on his knee.

"Colt?"

He began to blink his eyes frantically as he looked over at his daughter with a masked smile of reassurance that he was alright, but she could see through his facade. All she had to do was look down at his trembling hands.

"Can't you just call me dad?"

He chuckled as she took a seat beside him and smiled.

"I would. If you responded to it."

Niya's smile slowly faded as a look of concern took over her face.

"Is everything alright?"

When she asked the question, Colt couldn't help but look at his trembling hands before trying to cover them up by rubbing them together.

"Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind is all. We have a lot of ground to cover, and a lot of work ahead of us. If we're lucky, your grandfather will be alive. Would make everything a whole lot easier if we had his help."

Niya grew quiet as she threw some random brush into the fire. Her grandfather missed the old ways of living. So he bought himself some land away from everyone and everything. Was going to build an old town where people could come together and be one with nature. Where the only light you got was either from sunlight, the moon, the stars, and flames you created by using nature's gifts and your own two hands.

"You think the trading post will work?"

She asked as she looked over at her father over her shoulder.

"I think so, " he answered with a simple nod of his head. "It's human nature to want to help others. It's something that's been embedded in us. Right now people don't know what to do or what to think. What they had before is gone but, we can give some of that back to them. We can provide them with jobs that pay with hot meals. Some place they can sleep, and be protected. We can give them normalcy. Help them rediscover their humility."

When she grew quiet he looked over at her in worry. He didn't want her to lose hope in what they could do.

"You have that much doubt in our humanity?"

She sort of shrugs like she was uncomfortable with the subject. Unsure on how to really respond.

"It's not that I have doubts. It's just the reality of the situation. Things are different now. Everything is scarce and people are looking at each other like they're the enemy. They aren't looking at each other for help. People pose a threat. More of a threat than the dead men."

"Why can't you be optimistic? Have a little faith. I know you saw a lot of shit when you were in the military, but you know as well as I do, all it takes is one."

Colt holds up his index finger to his daughter.

"One person to stand up, offer their hand, and do something to turn things around. Even if it's just one person. Your mom was that one person for me. You were that person for Mia."

The sound of her little sister's name caused Niya to tense up. Her jaw clenched as her eyes began to water before she looked into the flame before her and spoke firmly and yet softly.

"Don't say her name."

Colt's face saddens as he goes to reach out to Niya. To offer some sort of comfort.

"Niya-"

Moving her shoulder away from him, she holds up her hand.

"Don't. Just... Don't."

Standing up, Niya walks into the woods leaving her father alone. He knew she was very close to her sister, and that she blames herself for her death, but she shouldn't take all the responsibility. The blame. He was just as much at fault as she was if not more. Just the thought of Mia, and all who they have lost to get where they were now caused his hands to tremble uncontrollably.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One: The Other Side**

Niya and Colt have been traveling for days. They knew they were running low on supplies so they decided to break away from the foliage and go into a neighboring town to scavenge. It was different now though. The way they traveled. It was a lot quieter. When it was more than just the two of them they would talk about anything and everything just to distract themselves from the reality that was going on around them. Now the only conversations they had were about how much supplies they had, if they were still going the right way, and if they were doing alright.

Their situation had changed like everything else, and everything around them. They were no longer going on some wild adventure like Uncle Ray would tell Mia, or having that long overdue hiking trip like Niya's husband used to tell her to think about when times get tough. One by one the dead men took them with no remorse. Leaving nothing but their memory. The dead men were nothing more than a plague that let nothing like it used to be in their wake.

Walking through the town they had found, it was easy to see that it was no different than any other they had come across. Trash littering the streets like it was its new inhabitants. Probably the remnants of the people doing their best to gather everything they could before leaving everything they ever knew behind. Abandoned. The once floral scented air that came from the flowers that hung from the streetlights was now polluted with the scent of decay. The dead men were true masters of ruining everything any living creature held dear.

It still amazed Niya how quickly everything turned when she came back to help take care of her mother. Everyone was getting sick, and no one knew what with. Some people were calling it a strain of flu but, no vaccines could help with what became inevitable. All they seemed to do was make those who were already sick even sicker. The death toll quickly climbed from the tens to the hundreds than to the thousands with a blink of an eye. No one knew what to do, how to begin… within a matter of minutes, humanity became truly helpless.

Looking over at her father, Niya noticed he was peering inside a window of one of the buildings. So she looked up at the weathered sign above it. _'The Liquor Tap'_ is what it read in bold pink lettering. Once upon a time, they were probably printed in a bright red to catch people's eye but, now they were faded due to sun fading and neglect. Her gaze found Colt once more as he began to wipe the grime from the window. Making a clearer view of what laid beyond it. It'd been awhile since she seen her father have a drink. He's been sober for God knows how long now. The fact that he was even looking caused Niya to worry. But considering what they've gone through already, she wouldn't blame him for relapsing. She wouldn't even hold it against him if he did.

Colt stopped staring through temptation's window when Niya exhaled deeply. "Maybe we should head back."

A look of confusion consumed Colt's face as he shrugged his shoulders. "Head back. Head back to what?" After he asked the question he began to walk towards her. "There's nothing for us back there."

"There's nothing for us anywhere." She said as though it was a matter of fact. "Everything's the same no matter where we go. It's not going to be any different at grandpa's house. Not anymore."

"You don't know that."

"It's more probable. Just look around you, Colt. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that we're not going to some hidden Utopia." Setting her backpack on a nearby abandoned car, she retrieves a map from within one of its many pockets. She begins to spread the parchment out on the hood while closely examining it. "We need to find a military base, or we need to start heading to Washington, DC. There, they might be better equipped for this kind of situation."

Colt approached Niya cautiously knowing that the only reason why she would want to go anywhere military related was that it was all she's known for years. It was familiar but, she hasn't seen what the military was doing. Quarantining towns to just blow them up later. Imprisoning people if they so much coughed, sneezed, or looked at a guard the wrong way.

"I know you took some sort of vow to protect and serve our country but, what they were doing didn't come close to that promise. So I think it's best if we just stayed away from any military personnel altogether." When she looked at him, he held up his hands. "No offense."

Unbeknownst to him, Niya wasn't all that unfamiliar. She knew all about quarantine zones, and in her opinion quarantine zones were never a good sign. A wolf in sheep's clothing she liked to call it. The technique is used to keep the situation controlled by making people have this false sense of security that they were safe, and protected. When in reality, it was to make sure that the soldiers could keep track of everyone. That way if things got out of control it would be easier to eliminate the problem. Fast and suffocate. Like fish in a barrel.

All Niya wanted were some answers to what the hell was going on. She just wanted to look at someone or something and be able to point the finger at who was to blame for all the deaths happening around them and doing nothing about it. Perhaps she just wanted to take the blame off herself so she could stop feeling this guilt that kept growing with each grueling step forward into the unknown. It was why she hid what she was from passing travelers; strangers. Figured if this was the government's doing, she would be accused of being guilty just by association. The fewer people knew the safer her and her family would be, or so she thought. Even with keeping the secret, somehow she ended up killing them all anyway.

She began to fiddle with the panther pendant that hung around her neck as she looked over the map. It brought her some sort of comfort hearing the sound of the metals softly grinding together as the link that bound them moved across the chain. Her grandfather had given it her when she was just a girl. He told her it was a representation of who she was and symbolized. Protection, hidden emotions, introspection, caution, careful decisions, multi-dimensional, dark and light. It was a riddle back then but, now it was obvious that he was the only person who truly saw her.

The sound was easily drowned out by Colt's soothing deep whisper, "Let's just get to your grandfather's. You know as well as I do he will have everything we need to get through this. Even if it's empty when we get there." She knew what he meant by empty. It was more metaphorical to everything else they had come into contact with. An empty shell of what it used to be. "After that, if you still want to go to Washington you can. If it doesn't work out the way you want... then at least I know you'll have a safe place to come back to. You can at least give me that."

Looking in her father's dark hazel eyes, Niya could almost see him down on his knees pleading. Begging her to do this one thing for him so he could have peace of mind.

Sighing, she began to think about how her grandfather was trying to live a self-sufficient lifestyle out by Richmond, Virginia. He just wanted to be away from everything, and more importantly away from everyone. She knew there would probably be water, crops in place for them to harvest in the fall, a house for them to stay in where they didn't feel uninvited but, things could have changed there just like everything else. Swallowing, Niya reluctantly nodded her head in agreeance, "I'll get you there, and help you get settled."

Colt rubbed a hand over his stubbled covered amused muzzle. She seemed so eager to get rid of him or away from him. He wasn't sure which. "Do you remember what we told each other before we left. What promise we made to one another." He watched as she paused for only a moment before continuing to fold up the map and put it back into her backpack. "We said we'll stick together no matter what."

"You don't understand." Her voice was almost a whisper. "Then help me understand," Colt demanded as he rested a hand on her shoulder. His hand was quickly brushed off as she moved away from him while she worked her backpack back onto her back.

"It doesn't work that way anymore." She said a bit loudly with frustration hinted within her voice while she tried to get her point across. "I was trained to take on anything and everything."

"Nothing could have prepared you for this." Colt was trying to be comforting which seemed to make Niya angrier as she yelled at him.

"I was trained to save people!" The sudden outburst caused a quiet in the air as distant birds could be heard fleeing from their hiding places within the trees. "I couldn't save mom from turning into one of the dead men. You did though. Without hesitation. All I was doing was trying to talk her down. Reconnect with her somehow. Like it would have brought her back."

"You were just doing what you were trained to do."

"And that training got us killed." It was true. In her opinion anyway. Everything she ever learned from the military seemed worthless now. Trying to talk down your enemy, how to keep innocent civilians safe, and even how to tell if someone was dead. Nowadays if you see someone down on the ground you couldn't just go and try to help them. If you did that you're more than likely etching your own name into your gravestone.

"How do you think I feel?" Colt's words began to be choked by the emotions brewing up inside of him. "When I shot her, do you think I was thinking I was saving her. Being some sort of hero?" Placing a firm hand on his chest, it was almost like he was trying to keep whatever he was feeling locked away inside. "I killed her. Murdered her. I did that and the worst part of it was that I did it in front of you." Looking down to the ground, he tried his best to pull himself together. "A father is supposed to protect their family. Especially their children. I couldn't save you from that. I couldn't save Mia from... You're not the only one walking around with this sense of fault looming over their head. You're not alone. We lose, we feel, but we survive together. That's how we get through this. So don't get it in your head that we'll be better off any other way."

A silence grew between them. Neither one of them had to say a word to understand that they could agree to disagree. Colt began to walk ahead to make sure the coast was clear, and as he began to round a corner he was suddenly startled at what was before him. His feet began to frantically slide over the sidewalk as he scrambled to get undercover. "Holy shit." He murmured out to himself as though he couldn't fully process what he was saying or seeing for that matter.

Niya looked at him in question figuring that he saw a dead man, and no more than when she thought it, Colt began to confirm more than her original assessment. He started to signal just how many there were by flashing his fingers to her in tens. They had a horde on their hands. A large one at that. They were probably drawn in by their loud conversation. "Fuck." Was the only word she could fathom, and it was nothing more than a whisper as Niya tried to think.

Pointing to the street her father coward from, she then points to her eyes asking him if they saw him. When he shrugs, it let her know that he wasn't sure. With how many there were Niya was surprised they didn't hear them. Perhaps they were both too caught up in the moment to truly listen to what was happening around them. Then again the dead men were great ambushers. They proved that on more than one occasion.

Niya began to Look around for some sort of building that had more than one story. If the dead men didn't see Colt that meant they had some time. Maybe not much but, it was better than nothing especially if they could keep ahead of the pack. Taking a step back, her eyes gazed over the town and the skyline. That's when she saw a brick building that seemed to tower over the rest. They could perhaps lose the horde through its stairways. Slowing them down long enough for them to figure a way out, because there was no outrunning something that never loses its breath. The best chance they had now was to outsmart them.

Waving Colt over, Niya taps on the back of her shoulder while she retrieves her nine millimeter from her hip. She begins to go over it by checking the clip and making sure it was cocked. Her father crouches down while he sneaks his way towards her; doing his best to make as little sound possible so not to draw any more attention to themselves. Placing his hand firmly on her shoulder Niya looks back at him, and he gives her a nod that he was ready when she was.

They begin to work their way through the town that seemed so open and quiet before. Now it felt congested, and the air filled with the breathless groans of the dead men. The mass of corpses didn't seem to move like a regular group. It was like they moved as one. A collective force. Like a flock of birds. Or a wave made up of the dead. The corpses started their pursuit slow; shambling. But, their pace soon quickened as they saw them run pass, and soon the swarm of cannibals truly were like a wave from the mighty ocean, sweeping it's way through the town practically unimpeded.

The town seemed to come alive as the dead men began to appear out of the woodwork while Niya and Colt began to weave their way through it. When they began to pass a convenient store, a loud thud came from behind them. Even though Niya was driven to push forward, her curiosity told her to look back. The impulse was encouraged even further when there was another thud, and the feeling of her Dad's hand digging into her shoulder slowly fading away. His way of keeping close without losing her in the unavoidable fray.

She couldn't resist the urge any longer. Turning around, she saw Colt staring down at a dead man whose body seemed to be nothing more than a puddle on the pavement. They both looked up to see another dead man making his way off the store's roof. Looking back at her dad she could see the gears turning in his head as he tried to figure out the dead men's motivation.

They both seemed to be at a loss of words while the dead man just continued walking forward as if the path he was walking would continue him to his destination. The dead men did n't care for their own well being. Just the thought of their next meal was enough to drive them to do horrific things to themselves no matter the consequences.

Seeing the incoming danger Niya yelled to her father to move but, the site of the suicidal dead man was enough to cause him to become paralyzed in place. Without warning Niya lunged forward; Pushing Colt out of the way as the falling dead man knocked her back onto the ground causing her head to bounce off the concrete like a basketball.

Unfortunately, this dead man didn't become one with the pavement like the others. He toppled to the ground; his legs breaking like toothpicks at his knees. His boney hands now clawed at Colt's feet in determination. Hoping to grab hold so he could pull his way onto his prey for a feist. Colt tried to kick him off but, it didn't deterrent the dead man any. It just reached forward with its other skinless hand and grabbed hold of his other leg. Pinning them down before another blow could come down in resistance. Vigorously, Colt began to crawl back from the man doing his best to use his feet to keep the continuously chomping jaws of the dead man away from his flesh.

A groan escaped Niya as she started to come to. Rolling to her side in agony as her head ached. She reached up to feel the spot where her head came in contact with the cement, and as her fingers searched through her dark locks... there it was. She put her hand in front of her face, and even through her blurry vision she could see that her hand was stained with blood. Looking over where Colt was, she could see that he was struggling. His voice echoed with the continuous throbbing of her head as he called out to her for help. Shaking her head in an attempt to gain some sort of focus, Niya began to fumble to her feet.

Colt was doing everything he could to keep the dead man at bay but, he was growing tired. Looking into the soulless eyes of the dead man he swallowed hard as it opened its mouth to reveal the black bottomless pit that was its throat. Soon, the image was gone from his site as Niya rolled the dead man off him, and then stomped it's head in with her boot. You could hear it's skull crack as it caved in; assisting in the damage to its brain that was needed to stop it's pursuit dead in its tracks.

"They're committing suicide." The realization of her father caused Niya to look back up to the rooftop as he sat up to see the carnage around them in astonishment.

"They're already dead." Niya began before returning her gaze to Colt, "I don't think they're losing much else by doing it." Her reassuring words fell on deaf ears as he still tried to fathom the purpose of it all. It seemed to be something he struggled with from the beginning.

"This isn't something you are going to be able to solve just sitting there. We have to keep moving." She did her best to remind him of the more immediate threat that was coming but, it wasn't enough to get a response from him as he sat frozen, trapped in his own mind. So, Niya did what she would do to anyone who was in shock. She grabbed Colt by the handle of his backpack that was strapped to him and began to drag him down the street as she shot any dead men who came near. Though through habit, she shoots them twice in the chest and then once in their head. Her father would ask her "Why use three when one will do?" It was amazing how muscle memory seemed to be what was routine. She knew all she had to do was shoot them in the head but, her muscles overrode any rationality.

Looking back at her dad, Niya couldn't help but find amusement. He was just in full panic mode as he tried to gain his bearings. "You going to be able keep up old man, or am I gonna have to continue to drag your ass?"

Colt scrambles back up to his feet. Using the loose gravel to regain his footing. "Heh, I don't think this is the time to be lighten the mood." They turn the corner and plant themselves against the wall in hopes to catch their breath. Niya checks her clip and places her gun back in its holster before grabbing her knife. She places her free arm over Colt to hold him back before she lunged forward, digging her blade inside a dead man's skull.

Colt's eyes grew wide not realizing how close the walking corpse was. Niya pats him on his chest reassuringly while she cleans her blade on her pants before putting it back in its sheath. "You're the one who told me I needed to be more optimistic about our situation. So lighten up, Colt. You seem tense."

"No shit." Colt took a minute to exam his daughter, and he couldn't help but notice the tiny thinned lined smear marks of blood on her neck. It looked like the marks were made from her hair as it grazed over her skin. The blood was a bright red which let him know that it was fresh, and it wasn't a dead man's. "You're bleeding." his voice was tainted with worry but, Niya couldn't help but chuckle. "No shit."

Taking a deep breath, she leans forward a bit to see if she could see around the corner to spy on the horde. If anything it seemed like they gained some ground. Their growls have distanced themselves for the time being. She wasn't too worried about them, because she knew where they were and what direction they were coming from. It was the peek a boos, sleepers, and flying dead men she was more worried about because you never knew where or when they were going to pop up.

When Niya went back to take her place against the wall she couldn't help but notice the concern written all over Colt's face. He reached out to her but, she raised her hand to stop him, "It's just a small side effect from when my head introduced itself to the concrete. I'll be fine." She gave him a smile. Just another sign she was trying to give him to let him know she was ok so he would stop worrying.

Pushing herself off the wall, she gave Colt's sleeve a small tug to let him know to follow her lead. That's when they B lined to the tall building not stopping for anything or anyone. Niya watched their front as Colt kept an eye on their backs. Anything that got in their way was either pushed to the side to act as another obstacle for the dead men to get through or was taken care of with a bullet or a blade.

When they finally reached their destination they took a moment to look at each other as they looked at the doors in front of them. The only thing that could keep them back now was if the doors were boarded up or locked. Locked didn't concern her because a lock could be picked. It would just take some time. The time they just couldn't spare at the moment. Taking a deep breath, it seemed they both started to count backward from three as they looked into each other eyes before quickly opening the doors. They entered fast and quickly looked around with their weapons raised.

They could see jeans hanging everywhere along with conveyor belts, sewing machines, and large beige material bins filled with jeans or materials. The denim factory seemed quiet, too quiet for Niya's liking. Keeping her weapon drawn she begins to move forward as she looks around. "Keep your guard up." She warns, "And find something to jam the doors. It'll buy us some time while I look for a way out." No sooner than she said that there was a crawling at the door followed by a longing moan. Colt started to panic. His eyes darted in every direction to find anything to stop the doors from opening but, the only thing he could think to do at such short notice was to lean up against the doors himself. "I'm afraid we don't have much time."

Niya looked back to her dad who was flat up against the doors. His feet had planted themselves into the ground as the doors started to push open and then slam shut due to his resistances. The site of the tug of war caused Niya's heart to race. Her eyes began to quickly search the place in all directions until she found a way out. There was a staircase that leads up about two stories before reaching a set of catwalks. Then there was a ladder that led up to a window. From where she was standing it seemed to have sort of emblem sticker on it. The first things that came to mind was a fire escape.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Niya quickly grabbed one of the heavy bins and rolled it over to the door. It was obvious she had a plan. Colt could see that as she flipped the bin over so it wouldn't just roll out of the way when the horde applied even more pressure as more of them arrived.

"There is a fire escape up there." She begins to explain before pointing to the window. Colt took a few steps forward to confirm Niya's suspicion while she worked to replace his efforts at the doors. "We go through that window, climb down, and-" Before she could finish, the bins she had laid down began to slide across the floor as easily as if they were on their wheels. Soon, dead men's arms began to reach through the jarring door. They began pushing each other through any open crevice that was possible. The sight alone caused Niya to back up and take aim but Colt quickly grabbed her arm. "We have a way out. Let's not waste any more time."

Niya nodded her head in agreeance and begins to put her gun away as the first dead man falls through the barricade. He reaches out to them with its mouth agape while more begin to flood in. Toppling over one another as they begin to unintentionally slide the bins out of their way.

"This way!" Niya shouts, and Colt quickly follows her up the staircase as their pursuers follow.

Halfway up, Niya looked back and noticed how clogged the dead men were making the stairway. They began to claw at each other. Pushing and climbing each other just to get ahead of one another. Her plan was working. They were slowing each other down and giving them more time to escape.

They approached the ladder with ease, and Colt made sure that Niya went up first. Just looking at it you could tell that it hadn't been used in ages. Nonetheless, she began the climb; feeling it shake underneath her weight. Every step slightly buckled underneath her weight. Even the bolts that were holding it in place rattled. The vibration's alone caused them to jiggle looser from their holes as it continually creaked out of place. She looked down at Colt, wondering if she should warn him but decided against it. If he knew he wouldn't even attempt it. This way he would climb due to pure adrenaline and without thinking. Or so she hoped.

When she got to the window she didn't anticipate how hard it would be to open. The wood had swollen up due to the humidity. It made it almost impossible for the sliders to slide up in between such a tight space. Slowly but surely the window began to open. Hiccuping the whole way up.

Relieving herself of her bag, she tossed it out onto the expected landing before exiting herself. Turning around, she laid down on her stomach and reached down to Colt. He threw up his backpack before attempting the climb himself but then stops. He looks up in time to see one of the bolts fall onto the grated catwalk before hurling down to the bottom floor. The ping sound it made when it landed took up the whole room. It silenced his daughter's voice as she yelled at him to hurry, and it silenced the hungry growls of the fast approaching horde.

There wasn't much time, and he knew it. So he jumped down to the catwalk. "What are you doing?" Niya asked causing Colt to look up at her, "It won't hold me."

Niya just stared at him for a moment before sterning her facial features to seem more confident, "Yes it will. Just-"

"No." He says forcefully, "I've been on enough ladders to know." Colt knew the ladder wouldn't have held him. He would have fallen to his death. Either by the fall itself or because of the dead men finishing the job. This was the best way. The only way they stood a chance. Even if it meant only one of them.

"All you have to do is climb high enough so you can reach me. From there I can pull you up. Trust me." She reached down again; pleading to her father with her eyes but, he had already convinced himself that this was the only way. "I'll be the bait. I'll distract them so you can get away."

Niya shook her head, "I won't let-"

"Let me have this!" He yelled causing her protest to yield, "Let me do what I was put on this earth to do. Protect you." Looking down at the inevitable horde approaching. He looked around to see if there was anywhere else he could go before finding his daughter's eyes. She was doing the same thing. Surveillance the area for every possible escape route and outcome.

"You already did that when you took care of mom." Niya couldn't help but shrug slightly as her eyes began to become pools of tears.

From her answer Colt knew that his options were grim. She was only telling him that to get him to at least try because she probably got the same conclusion he did. There was no other way out. So he gave Niya a soft smile and began to admire her face. Sketching it into his memory. She had many of her mother's Native American features. If he stared long enough she could almost see her in Niya's place. Just about the only thing she ever got from him was his stubbornness and wavy hair. Smiling at the thought, he pierced his lips together. Doing his best to stay strong.

"Go. I'll see you on the other side alright?"

Niya couldn't help but stare at the upcoming horde as she did her best to figure out how to interrupt 'The other side' before making her way back through the window. Colt watched his daughter disappear before he saw his bag come flying down and landing beside him. "See you on the other side." Colt looked up to Niya giving him small smile before he placed his backpack on his back.

She watched as he made his way across the catwalk before continuing down the fire escape. Once she was on solid ground Niya looked up in hopes that she would see Colt appear through the window but, he never came. She then moved cautiously to the other side of the building where she could see the tail end of the horde. She wanted to wait for them all to go inside so she could lock the doors behind them but, if Colt made it how would he get out? Perhaps he would be able to make it across one of the various catwalks that made up the building's skeleton, and somehow make his way around the horde and exit the same way they had entered.

She stood there whispering to herself, "Come on. Come on." repeatedly and still there was no sight or sound of him. Sighing, she began to make her way out of town to find refuge beyond the uninhabitable streets and wait there for him. Deciding right there and then that the other side meant just beyond the window.


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two: Chasing Ghosts**

Burning embers lit up Niya's brown eyes while she laid still amongst a graveyard of dead men. She had made the fire a few days ago in hopes that it would help her father find her but, the only thing that found her were them. They had officially extinguished every light in her life except for the smoldering fire that laid before her. It seemed to be the only light she had left in this world, and that too was going out.

She tried her best to stay positive, knowing that's what Colt would have wanted. Finding hollow signs to keep her believing that he was still alive. They were nothing more than fairy tales. Fairy tales created to camouflage the unbearable reality. Colt was gone, no matter what scenario she played out in her head. Alive. Dead. Didn't matter. Him being gone was the only thing that was for certain, and the only thing that was left for her to do was to decide where she would go from here.

Sitting up, Niya looked over at one of her intruder's head that was still chomping at the bit to taste her living flesh. She didn't know why she had left it alive after removing it from its body. Maybe deep down she wanted to watch it suffer. Grasping at something it wanted so heartedly but, it was always out of reach. The act was fruitless. It brought her no sense of satisfaction or comfort. For the dead man had no sense of loss. It was just as determined as ever to get what it wanted even without its body, and no matter how long she left it lay there that determination would never falter. Its efforts would never feel wasted.

She let out a groan of annoyance before grasping her knife and drawing it to end the sound of the dead man's teeth chattering together. When she held it in the air, she couldn't help but stare at the blade as it gleamed in the moonlight. It seemed to call to her like a siren's song. All she would have to do to end this seemingly continuous suffering was to use it on herself. Just two cuts down her wrists, that's it, and she would bleed out as the nightmare around her slowly got consumed by darkness.

The more she thought about it, the lower her hand dropped as the idea began to intrigue her. Her eyes were memorized by the blade while she grazed its sharpened edge against her pale brown skin. She didn't even have to apply pressure to cause the edge to break open her skin. The cut itself was that of a paper cut and felt like a bee sting. It was enough to have her imagination run wild.

Her crimson blood slowly dripping down her arm before becoming a series of steady streams. The blade dug deeper into her flesh causing her veins to pulsate. For some reason this conjured up her grandmother, and what she used to say to her.

 _"You never die. For you live on forever in those you've touched and leave behind."_

The way she said it made it seem like everyone was an immortal bean. Right now her words in her sweet crackling voice seemed comforting. Perhaps that's why this particular memory was plucked from the back of her mind and brought to the forefront. To bring her comfort while she seemingly hangs onto life by a thread. The more she thought about it, however, the more unsettling those words started to become.

 _'What was to happen when those people who carry on your whole existence lose all memory of you or are no longer amongst the living. Is that when you truly die. Is that when you no longer exist?'_

The silence that had consumed her while she was lost in her thoughts was disturbed by the decapitated heads dried out gasps. They had brought her back to the reality of what she would become if she allowed her imagination to become a reality.

Whenever people talked about life after death it sounded so tranquil. Now you get resurrected like the Lord Savior Jesus Christ but, what you become is the furthest thing from a savior. Instead, you come back as a restless monster. Killing everything and anything with a living beating heart, and never once feeling any ounce of fulfillment. Only emptiness and the continuous need to fill it.

Lifting her knife up, she quickly swung it down deep inside the dead man's skull. As quickly as it's breathless chomping seized, a loud bang swept through the air causing her to startle up to her feet. The sound rippled around her while her eyes darted in every direction. It could have come from anywhere.

Taking a calming breath, she closed her eyes and began to concentrate on the sound itself. Knowing that its last etched out echo would lead her to its origin. Opening her eyes, Niya looked over her shoulder. The sound came from the direction of the town. From her guess, it came from just beyond it.

 _"Colt?_ ", His name escaped from between Niya's lips in a disbelieved whisper while she tried to grasp whether or not what she heard was a reality or her mind playing tricks on her. Whatever the case, it let her know that there was someone out there, and that thought alone caused her to gather her things up in a hurry. Just shoving whatever she could into her backpack without any sort of organization before flinging it over her shoulder.

She turned to run in the opposite direction of the alarming sound because people were almost as dangerous as the dead men, and in some cases worse.

When she went to run, however, she couldn't follow through. Instead, she began to pivot her weight from one foot to another in deliberation. Finally, she just went. Never looking back while running through the forest. Dodging low grown branches and hopping over dead logs until she came across a familiar path, and traveled down it the same way she ascending it. By running.

Niya knew she wouldn't be able to live with herself if it were her father. Knowing she could have done something, anything, even if it was something as simple as just being there for him, and to let him know that she wouldn't just abandon him like he thought she wanted to.

It wasn't his fault that she wanted to detach herself from him. Just looking at him was torture for her. Knowing that somehow, some way, he was going to die, and she was going to be the reason for it. He was already a walking corpse to her, and she was ashamed that she couldn't see past that for one measly second to see that he was still a living breathing human bean; And all he wanted was for her to see him, and to enjoy the time they had together no matter how long that time was.

She had wasted so much of her time being this person who serves and protects. That she completely forgot how to be a wife, a niece, a sister, and a daughter. Maybe if she spent more time trying to be those things, everyone, that she knew and loved would still be alive.

It didn't make any sense why she was still here and they weren't. Nothing made sense anymore. That's why Niya wanted to go Washington. She wanted to be somewhere basking in the presence of people that went through what she went through. That think, and see things the way she did. She wanted to feel like she belonged, and that is what Washington offered her.

She didn't fit in this world. Everything was twisty turny. What your instincts told you to do isn't what you should do, and people were no longer a beacon of hope. They now wore an aura of yellow tape warning others to be wary.

In the military there was structure. A schedule. Even when in the field there was a plan to follow, and if that plan didn't work there was a backup plan. There was always something to fall back on.

Niya felt the same way she did when she came back home. Out of place. She didn't even feel comfortable in her own skin unless she was wearing some part of her uniform. That's why her dog tags were more to her than a way for someone to identify her unrecognizable corpse. They were a reminder of who she was.

As she approached the outer perimeter of the town, she searches her chest with her hand for her dog tags but, all she found was the panther pendant. She had almost forgotten that she had tucked her tags in her bag after the backlash she received from some passers-by. Perhaps it was a sign that she wasn't that person anymore but someone else entirely. Who that was she didn't know, But thinking of the other people made her wonder what she would do if it wasn't Colt she was chasing. What if it were other survivors.

The only way she knew how to deal with them was how she dealt with tangos out on the field. Never approach them directly. Even if they are in trouble. Survey them from afar and deal with them accordingly. With that plan in mind, Niya began to weave around the buildings stealthily while she held her knife at the ready.

The town seemed quieter than before, and the air held something heavy. She really couldn't describe how it made her feel but, it made her stomach tie itself in a knot while it felt like there was a pressure on her chest; Causing her heart to beat harder than it should. The reasoning should have been clear but, it didn't hit her until she was standing toe to toe with the denim factory.

It seemed haunting to be back there as she looked up at the fire escape that she hurriedly climbed down just days ago. She could see herself going through the motions like a ghost until she saw herself running away. Just thinking about her actions made her paint her self a coward. She should have doubled back and taken the horde down from behind while Colt played bait without even knowing it.

She mused over the idea now as she peaked her head around the building. One of the doors were open. Waving in the steady breeze as though it was inviting her to come inside. As temptation took over, Niya took a step forward but quickly retreated back behind the corner as a dead man began to walk out dragging one of its legs across the ground. He must have been one of (what she assumed to be many) that were left behind from the horde. The sound in the distance must have deterred them from inside to follow it. Just like it did to her.

Peaking back around the corner, the door waved again for her to enter, and this time she went for it. She was determined to figure out what happened to Colt. So she stayed close to the wall as she slithered in behind the crippled dead man whose clothes were worn, torn, and falling off it slowly decaying body. What was left of his attire was distinguishable by a red tie that it wore around its neck; Seemingly untouched. It was something it probably took pride in wearing when it was alive. Even now it wore it with its head held high as if it were a man of importance. Maybe at one time but, not anymore.

Her eyes never left him as she walked inside the factory backward before stopping abruptly when the back of her sole knocked against something hard. The sound seemed to carry through the large space but never piercing the outside as the dead man continued on its way undisturbed. Niya turned to see what it was, and it was the bin she had flipped over to try and barricade the door. Taking a deep breath, she looked up to the rafters.

The sunrise was just beginning to show its presence through the windows. Lighting up the room to reveal the carnage that had been left behind. There seemed to be a scattered trail of trampled over corpses that led up the stairs. She made her way through the graveyard path cautiously. Even if most of their heads seemed to be smashed in from one of their own stomping on it, there still could be sleepers amongst them.

When she reached the stairs she couldn't help but notice the various rounded stains on the cement floor below them. Her eyes followed where the stains could have come from, and it didn't take her long to figure it out. There were dead men ground up by the grated steps. Probably caused by their bodies being continuously walked over as the horde just pushed forward.

Her stomach began to turn even more so than before as the stench of death began to consume her nostrils. It almost made the air seem unbreathable as she reached the catwalk where she last saw Colt. That to was littered with scattered dead men. Some were still clinging to life as they clawed their way towards her. She really didn't consider them to be a threat but, she ended their nonexisting lives by digging her knife deep into their temple just the same.

The catwalk led to a small windowed room that seemed to be used as an office of sorts. She imagined Colt rushing his way inside and closing the blue door behind him. Keeping some distance between him and the corpses who followed. He then probably curled up under the desk that laid inside to keep out of view as he thought about his next move.

When she approached the door there were so many claw marks revealing the steal underneath. It was amazing that she could tell that it was blue at all. The sound that it must have created was probably similar to nails on a chalkboard. Just thinking about it made her jaw clench. That sound alone was enough to drive anyone mad.

In her train of thought her hand had managed to jiggle the handle, and to her surprise, the door swung open. There was now a lump in the back of her throat and a voice tugging at her ear; Encouraging her not to go inside. Niya almost wanted to listen to her subconscious to avoid dealing what the reality could be beyond the door, because right now Colt was alive, and enjoying himself on a beach somewhere.

Taking a series of small comforting breaths, she walked inside and quickly noticed a window had been broken. Probably by the chair that laid just beyond it. There was nothing in the room that suggested a struggle but, under the desk, there was a flask, and she recognized it to be Colt's. The label that was on it was almost unrecognizable from all the ware and tare over the years. Even she has forgotten what it once read.

Picking it up she gave it a little shake, and she could hear the dark liquid that laid inside of it sloshing against the walls of its prison. The sound alone caused her to smile. Even in his desperation, he didn't allow his darkest compulsion to break him into doing what it wanted. He fought his addiction and left it behind him. If he didn't have any hope of surviving the flask would have been empty, and he would still be here dead.

With some sort of urgency, Niya put the memento into her backpack and continued forward with her investigation. Following the path, her father had left behind even though there was hardly anything to go on. Just a single catwalk that leads to a dead-ended broken window.

Niya could see Colt running down the hall like a ghost. Looking over his shoulder and then looking around for any other possible escape routes. His physical remembrance stood at the window in deliberation. Should he go for it or should he double back and see if there was another way out.

 _'He wouldn't double back.'_ She thought. Knowing that the more time he spent in the building, the less time he had amongst what was left of the living. _'So he jumped.'_ She could see it as she approached the window. Throwing himself at it all curled up. Doing his best to try and protect himself from injury as glass shards followed him down to the cemented alleyway.

Niya could only imagine what that felt like from two stories up. Especially if he landed on his feet. Legs stiffening as all the intensity shot up his back. Pushing everything upward until his legs buckled underneath him at the sudden jolt of pain. If he fell like that he more than likely broke a leg, and he probably would still be laying there.

If he was smart he would have stayed curled up. His arms protecting his head. That way if he fell, the worst that could happen would be a dislocated shoulder or a broken arm. Especially if he landed on his side. He would risk his ribs being bruised. Perhaps even broken but, he would still have his legs.

Niya couldn't see anything significant from where she was. So she made her way to the ground floor and out to the alleyway where she found where he would have fallen. There was shattered glass everywhere but, no blood. If there was any it was either gone or to small for her to see. Scouring the area further there didn't seem to be anything else. Nothing seemed to have been disturbed. Not even from the dead.

* * *

As she walked, she couldn't help but hear a crunching sound beneath her feet. It caused her to take a step back and examine what exactly it was she was stepping on. There on the ground were small fragments of glass. It made her think that maybe pieces of glass got stuck in the soles of Colt's shoes, and if that was the case, "There may be a path to follow." With that in mind, it didn't take her long to follow the long spread out breadcrumbs leading her through a labyrinth of back alleys and back streets.

Rounding a corner behind a restaurant she caught a glimpse of Colt's backpack out of her peripheral vision. The site alone caused her to turn away. Wanting to believe her eyes were playing tricks on her. Pulling herself together, she opened her eyes and turned around slowly. She could feel her heart sink into her stomach as she came to realize that her eyes weren't deceiving her.

Before she could even fully absorb her surroundings she could hear his breathless gaspings. The sound made her mouth gap open while her lips quivered. Her eyes became nothing more than pools of tears as she looked at the dead man and taking in its entirety.

It was Colt. There was no denying it. The shirt. The pants. The shoes. His hair. His backpack. Everything. Even if his back was towards her, she could tell.

Just looking at him. What she saw. It didn't make any sense. His backpack hung loosely off his shoulder. The clothes he was wearing were ripped and tethered. It wasn't until she saw a blood spot seeping through the back of his shirt. Then she was able to play a scenario out in her head.

He must have got bitten or scratched on his way to the office. That's why he was hiding. He probably sat there deliberating for days. Holding his flask tightly between his hands as the dead men clawed at the door. The only reason why he escaped was that he didn't want her to find him. He didn't want her to see him like he is now. One of them.

People must have shown up and seen him. Colt probably held up his hands to show that he wasn't armed and he was friendly but, the people probably saw the wound, and panicked. Then shot him out of fear. That would explain the sound. That would explain everything.

Crouching down to the ground, Niya's legs shook as she covered her face with her hand. She should have ran the other way. She should have just kept him safe on the beach. This was all her fault. If she would have come sooner. If she would have doubled back. Maybe things would have been different. Maybe they both would be dead but, at least then they would have been dead together.

Looking up at him she knew what she had to do. End his suffering. Pulling out her knife she sat there and stared at him. Niya wanted to call out to him to draw him closer but, he started to turn his head, and all she could see was his white kind smile. Hear his contagious laugh. Smell his cologne faintly in the breeze.

She rose to her feet, fixing her grip on her knife, and when the dead man turned around…

Niya wasn't there. She knew if she went through with it her memories of him would disappear, and they would be replaced with nightmares. She couldn't do that to him.

Placing her knife back in its sheath, she looked on with unstable vision while using the seemingly closing walls around her to guide her way out. All she could hear was her breathing, and heartbeat overlapping one another. Everything around her was silent, and soon she found herself at the center of town. Standing in the middle of the street that ran through the center of town.

Looking back and forth from one way to another. She didn't know which way to go. Voices tumbled over each other in her head with their own opinion on where she should go.

 _"CAAW!"_

The sound came clear to her. It drowned out all of the voices and sounds.

 _"CAAW!"_

She began to look around following the sound as best she could till she saw it. The crow sitting on a light post. It tilted its head at her like it was trying to figure out what exactly she was. Perhaps it has been so long since its seen a living person that seeing one has become foreign to it.

Niya took a step towards it causing the creature to fly off, and causing her to retract her step. It wasn't a surprise. Birds are known to choose flight when scared but, what surprised her is when it came back. Perching itself on a dangling store sign that was a bit further down from where it was before it called out to her again.

 _"CAW, CAAW!"_

It was almost like it wanted her to follow it. Doing it's best to get and keep her attention so she would do so.

Who else was there for her to trust. She was alive, the crow was alive, and since she couldn't trust her self; Why not put her trust in the crow? So she began following the crow's caws because the only thing pushing her to continue forward.

* * *

Night was day, and day was night. Everything began to blur together. The only thing that wasn't distorted was the crow. Even in the night, it seemed to stand out. It's black feathers gleaming in the moonlight, and when it flew in the air it became a shadow against the stars.

Then one day it vanished, and everything was still. It was then Niya began to see what was around her. She could finally see the trees, and feel the ground beneath her feet. There was something about where she was though but, she couldn't put her finger on it. The more she stood there, the more lost she felt. She began to wonder how long she was on autopilot because she couldn't remember what she saw along the way. The only memory she had was that of the crow.

 _"CAW!"_

Hearing its faint call in the distance caused her to startle. It was calling her to follow it again, and she did aimlessly through the forest they seemingly got lost in together. It took Niya awhile to find the crow, because it had found its way on the highest branch of one of the tallest trees but, the crow wasn't the only thing she noticed.

When the crow went silent she could hear a branch creaking in the wind. Circling around the tree she finally found what was causing the sound. There was a dead man hanging from one of its branches, and when she looked up to locate the crow. It was gone.

She looked around for it but, there was nothing. No echo of its caw. No black feather to show it even existed. The only thing it seemed to leave behind was the dead man hanging from the tree. It looked to have been hanging there for a while. Even the rope that bounded its hands behind it's back hung loosen from the amount of decay. Not even its clothes fit properly anymore.

Reaching out her hand, she used little pressure to push one of its feet. It caused its body to sway back and forth freely. She expected to start lashing out but. It didn't. Which meant that the dead man was truly as dead as it seemed.

Niya began to expect it with her eyes as she rounded it to see its face. From there she saw why it didn't move. There was a bullet hole right between its eyes. Either the people who did this were eliminating another dead man or they were showing the person mercy.

Taking a step closer to the body, she wondered if she should cut it down. There was no reason for it. Not even for decoration, and if it was a warning there would probably be more with some sort of writing on the tree to be wary. Looking down at the ground, she could see a piece of what looked like to be a shoestring or a piece of leather. Picking it up she could already tell there was something heavy that hung from it.

Wrapping it around her hand the heavy wooden charm fell into the palm of her hand. It was carved to look like a crow. Smoothing her thumb over it, she thought about what it represented. Magical, shape shifting, change, creativity, spiritual strength, inelegancy, energy, and higher perspective. It was similar to her panther charm, and she had only seen another like it.

With a sense of realization. She lifted her head and looked around her surroundings. Now figuring out why this place seemed so familiar. She's been here. Played beneath the trees but, she couldn't have traveled that far so mindlessly. Could she?

Looking around a bit more a memory began to play out before her. It was of her grandfather kneeling down in front of her so he could look her in the eyes. She watched as he placed his hands on her shoulders while she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

 _"To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering."_

His voice struck her in a way she could describe. Taking a step back, she looked back at the charm as its leather loosened from her hand, and let it fall through her fingers.

Looking up at the hanging body, flashes of her grandfather features in the flesh began to replace its decay until he was whole. His long salt and pepper hair blew in the wind along with the red flannel that he wore over his white wife beater. His blue jeans seemed new but, they were worn at the knees. Even his brown leather work boots were covered in fresh dirt. Which made her think that he was working out in his garden.

 _'Someone drug him out here and hanged him.'_ The thought alone made her believe that there was more than one person involved because the same person who hanged him wouldn't have shot him. They would have let him return as a dead man so they could cockily tease him because they were too much of a coward to do it while he was alive.

Anger began to fill her bones as she fell to her knees letting out a blood-curdling wail. Afterward, she just sat there in silence taking deep breaths but, it wasn't helping her calm down the rage that continued to build inside of her.

She stood up abruptly and began to cut what was left of her grandfather down until he fell to the ground with a thud. Just looking at him made her think of her father and how she left him behind to be a monster. Which made her worse than the people who did this.

Niya began to remove the noose around his neck before replacing it with his necklace. Then she pulled the rope off that bound his hands. She used more force than what was needed. Making her fall back to the ground as the rope came off his hands easier than she anticipated.

She didn't even move as she stared up at the sky before looking over at her grandfather's body. Realizing how alone she truly was now, and for some reason, her grandmother's worlds came flooding back to her.

 _"You never die. For you live on forever in those you've touched and leave behind."_

With her family gone, there was only one person who could kill them now, and that person was her. If she were to die, by any means, then her family would die with her. She didn't want that for them. She wanted them to live, and to do that, she had to live.


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three: Strangers**

Niya sat at the top of the stairs that led up to her grandfather's cabin. She was stooped over in exhaustion. Looking down at the ground her hands shook and they were coated in dirt. Sweat beaded off her brow while a smear of ground decorated her forehead. She had spent day and night hand digging a grave for her grandfather. Just deep enough so he would be underground before covering him with dirt and carefully stacked rocks. She then buried what was left of her family. A leather bracelet that was her mothers. Her uncle's hat that he had given her to keep the sun out of her eyes. Her wedding bands from her husband. Her little sister's teddy bear that she held every night for comfort, and her dad's flask. It was the least she could do for them.

When she was done she didn't feel any relief or comfort. She just felt empty. A ghost in her own skin as she walked the couple miles to her grandfather's cabin. She couldn't even bring herself to go inside. Just walked the few steps up to the porch and sat down. It was like she was frozen in time and everything around her was rushing past her. The only thing that was consistent was the continuous banging, moans, and the sound of hands sliding down glass just beyond the front door.

Finally, she took a deep breath before removing the burden of her backpack from her back and placing it in front of her. Opening it up, she reached inside and grabbed her nine millimeter. Holding it in her hand she nonchalantly strummed her fingers against its grip. Taking a moment to really listened to her surroundings and picking up a sound that wasn't authentic.

She waited until the sound was so defined it muted all other sounds. When that happened, she pointed her gun at the direction the sound was coming from without looking up to see exactly who or what it was but, it must have been human enough because the sound it was creating had stopped.

"Can you read?" Niya asked as a man's voice replied back, "I can."

Niya cocked back the hammer knowing that her grandfather had posted a lot of 'No Trespassing' signs, and you couldn't miss them. "So you know you're trespassing." She finally looked up to see a man standing a few feet away from her with his hands raised. She looked into his light blue eyes before studying him. He was wearing a stocking cap and a trench coat over a buttoned shirt with cargo pants, and black combat boots. He didn't seem dirty. Even his hair and beard looked well groomed.

"Aren't you?" The man asked causing Niya to tilt her head unamused by his attempt at a smart comment. "I haven't seen you here before."

"That might be a good thing." Even under his coat, she could tell he wasn't armed. Not even his fingers twitched in anticipation to get a hold of something. So she lowered her firearm. "People tend to die around me."

The man's brows curled in sadness like he knew what she meant. "My names Paul Rovia but, my friends used to call me Jesus." The man sprawled his arms out further with a kind smile. Almost like he was mimicking the Lord Jesus Christ's crucifixion. Niya didn't have any reaction to this revelation. She just sat there staring at him. "I was looking for the old man that lives here."

"What for?" The man seemed surprised at the question or perhaps it was how defensive she sounded.

"I came to talk to him about trading once but, I couldn't get him to budge. So I started coming to check in on him and make sure he was okay," Jesus took a step closer to Niya, "And I guess he thought my time was worth something because he started sharing his knowledge with me on how to survive. From a distance anyway." He smiled briefly before looking concerned, "Is he alright?"

Niya looked away from Jesus and towards the direction of the tree she found him in, "I found him a few miles from here. He was hanging from a tree with a bullet wound in his head. So I cut him down and buried him."

Jesus couldn't help but look at her hands; Noticing how filthy they were and how filthy she was. There were a few questions that came to mind. One, how did she know it was him who was hanging, and two, why would she take the time to bury him. He could only come up with one conclusion. "You knew him?"

"He was my grandfather." Niya looked at Jesus as he walked up and took a seat on the step below her. He looked honestly distraught. His visits with her grandfather probably became something of a routine, and something he looked forward to.

Standing up, Niya began to approach the front door. Opening it slightly before walking away as it swung open causing Jesus to jump to his feet. She didn't bother to turn around until she was off the porch, and then she took aim.

BANG! *click* BANG!

As soon as the bullets struck their brains the two dead men fell like dominos. It was obvious to see that the men haven't been dead long. They still seemed whole.

Niya put away her gun and approached them. Flipping them over with her foot, she noticed they were dressed similarly to one another. Blue jeans, T-shirt, and work boots. The only things that seemed to be different were the wear and tear. Jesus came up on the porch to investigate. Kneeling down beside the dead men. "You think they did it?"

Niya knelt down beside Jesus and began to exam their bodies more thoroughly. One's abdomen was wrapped up with red stained medical tape. The other had a bite mark on its neck. "When you would talk to my grandfather. Was he holding a shotgun?"

A small smile appeared on Jesus' face as he turned and looked at her, "Yeah. He always held it. That way all he had to do was aim it before firing. He fired at my feet the first time I tried to meet him. Told me that was far enough." He mused, "Never went any closer after that."

Niya nodded her head before standing up, "From the looks of it, he probably gave them a warning shot but, they didn't listen. So he shot this one-" She pointed to the man who had the medical wrap, " Then this one-" She pointed to the other, "Got angry, and did what he thought he had to do. In the end, it didn't matter. My grandfather already sentenced them to death before they sentenced him."

Jesus looked up at her for a moment before looking back at the bodies. Doing his best to see what she saw. It took him a moment but, he saw what happened to them. After they took care of her grandfather they went back to the cabin to regroup. Bandaging the bullet wound as best they could but, the wound started to take its toll. The man died, came back, and bit his friend. She was right. Her grandfather took care of both of them with one shot.

Jesus began to pat down the dead men to try and figure out who they were but, all he found was a pistol. Looking over it he could see that it was distinguishable with a baseball bat like carving in its handle. Sighing heavily to himself he hands the weapon to Niya. "You're not safe here."

"If you haven't noticed, no one is safe anywhere." She then looked down at the pistol, "You keep it. You should carry one with you just in case."

Jesus shakes his head and stands up, "This gun belongs to the Saviors. These men were either apart of them, or they stole from them. It may not be today. It may not be tomorrow but, they will come looking for them, and they will come here."

Niya examined Jesus posturing on the matter. He seemed worried, and he made it seem like this wasn't some warning or threat. It was a fact. "So if these Saviors come here. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Nothing if you aren't here." He seemed to be pleading with her now. Like he was asking her to come with him without asking.

"And if I am?"

Jesus looked away from her a moment and then looked back at her, "You will either be the person who killed their men, or the person who was in cahoots with the men who stole from them. Either way, you would be indebted to them. As you are or," He looked down at the dead men at their feet. "As one of them."

Niya began to deliberate what she should do. "Like you said," She began as she looked at him, "It may not be today. It may not be tomorrow. So I'll cross that bridge when it comes. Not before. I'm not giving up what's left of my family because some people want to accuse me of false crimes. You want to help me. Then do what you did for my grandfather. Come check up on me to make sure I'm okay. Then when I get settled and things sorted," She shrugs, "We can talk trade."

Looking back at the house, Niya smiled, "It's what my father would have wanted. He figured people could use a trading post to get what hey needed to get by."

Jesus was quiet for a moment, "I can do more than check in." Niya looked at him bewildered, "I know I can't convince you to come with me. You seem as stubborn as your grandfather. So let me help you build the trading post. It's the least I can do."

His words caused Niya to chuckle, "And what about the Saviors?"

" We'll worry about that when the time comes. Not Before."

Taking a deep breath, Niya thought heavily over the subject. She could sense that Jesus was a kind man who could be trusted. It's why her grandfather let him get as close as he did. So, she offered him her hand, "Names Niya."

Just the gesture alone caused Jesus to smile as he shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you. Sometime, if you don't mind. I would like to pay my respects to your grandfather."

Nodding her head, Niya began to walk into the house but, before she passed the threshold she turned and looked at Jesus, "Edwin. His name was Edwin."

When Niya walked into the house nothing seemed out of place. Looking to her right she could see the kitchen. Half of it was turned into a bar and none of the liquor bottles that sat behind it were out of place. To her left was the dining room. It had an oak dining table with six oak chairs pulled up to it in the middle, and then there was an oak china cabinet that held the dishes and silverware.

The wooden floor creaked once a hesitant Jesus stepped forward. He acted like he was going to get yelled at if he went any further. She looked over at him for a moment as he looked around the house with curious eyes before she looked back at the surroundings herself. If you didn't know the house you'd be easily fooled by how it was sitting but, Niya could see the panicked path that leads upstairs, and that's where her eyes rested. " Something isn't right." She looked back at the open door behind them causing Jesus to look around the house to try and see what she meant. He couldn't physically see what she saw but, he could feel that something didn't feel right.

Niya remembered how Jesus entered the house and came to a different conclusion about the men that lay dead on the ground. They were welcomed here which meant that her grandfather was at least cordial to the men for them to even feel comfortable coming in for protection. Let alone to use the medical supplies. "They didn't do this. Someone else did." She looked at Jesus in hopes to find some sort of answer but, when he looked up at her all she saw was a worriedly fear. Apparently, the men who did this should be feared more than the Saviors.

"Why don't you help me bury the bodies and take anything they have that's useful." Jesus shook his head at the idea, " I would just bury them and everything they have. Erase any trace that they were even here."

"So we can try to sell a lie? I don't think so. If anything we can use what they have to collaborate our story when the Saviors come. If they come at all." Walking past Jesus, Niya goes and grabs one of the dead men by the arms, " I find it best, to tell the truth in these situations than a lie. So you going to help me or not?" He lets out a heavy sigh before walking over to the dead men's legs. Picking them up and following her lead.

They ended up burying the men a mile or so east with the shovel that Edwin kept in his work shed. Niya was quiet the whole time thinking about the situation and what her grandfather had going on with the Saviors if anything at all. On their way back it seemed like Jesus could no longer be silent, "Why didn't you kill me?" The question made Niya sigh. "You were unarmed, you seemed generally concerned for my grandfather, and I was tired."

They both shared a humorous chuckle as Jesus gave her a nod in understanding. Before he could express how he could relate, he couldn't help but notice Niya slowing her pace as she reached behind her back where her gun was tucked away. When he looked up, he could see the reasoning.

There were four men approaching the cabin, and you could tell by how their voices carried that they had no care in the world. "Is that them?" Niya asked as she turned to Jesus. "The Saviors?" He didn't recognize them as part of the Saviors or any other group he had come across in his travels. "No." His simple response let her know that he thought they should be wary.

She didn't feel the same way as she approached them head-on, "May I help you, gentlemen?" The men seemed startled by her voice as they all reached for some sort of weapon that scattered their waist. By the time they looked back up, Niya already had her gun out pointing it in their direction.

They seemed annoyed at their presence. The man that had made it onto the porch couldn't even hide that behind his smile while he let the butt of his gun fall from his fingers, and back in its holster. He raised his hands in the air, and his men followed suit while he yelled back, " My name is Jarret. These here are my men. Mitch, Miles, and Ron." Niya studied the men carefully, and Mitch stood out from the rest of them due to how big he was for a tall man. He had short dirty blonde hair with hazel eyes.

Ron was the smallest. His hair was dark and resembled a horseshoe. He also looked the most unkempt. Some of his teeth were missing and it was hard to tell from what. Miles just stood there with a smirk about him. His hair was shaggy and red. His green eyes already let you know that he was thinking of ways to torture you.

Then there was Jarret. He seemed to be the one that was more put together and approachable. It was all an illusion though. Along with his kind brown eyes, and the way he smiled let you know he was a deceiving sort.

"The old man that-" Jarret paused as his smile grew slightly, "Hanged, around here." His words caused Mitch and Ron to stiffen a chuckle as Miles smirk turned into a satisfied smile. "You haven't seen him have you?"

Niya's jaw clenched as her grip on her gun tightened. She knew she was in the presence of the men who were responsible for killing her grandfather. Jarrett was so arrogant and practically rubbing it in her face as a warning.

"I've seen him," Niya answered as what really transpired ran through her head. "He was hanging from a tree with a bullet wound through his head. Apparently, the person or persons who were responsible were able to take the time and effort to get him up there but, didn't have the patience to watch him die. Which tells me they either had a guilty conscious or-" She shrugs, "Couldn't stomach what they were witnessing." Niya knew it could take at least thirty minutes for someone to hang before they die. Just the thought of it made her want to look away. In a way she did. When she looked over at Miles, " I bet someone like you would have enjoyed the site."

Miles smile faded as he looked over at Jarrett causing Niya to do the same. The smile he wore faded. His bottom lip tucked in while he nodded his head. He then smoothed his tongue over his teeth before his once bright smile returned closed, and tightened. "That's a real shame. Maybe if he was less of an asshole things would have turned out differently for him but, he's gone now." He nods, "Part of the past. I say we care more about the here and now. So who might you be?"

Niya looked over at Jesus. " Well, I'm the asshole's granddaughter." She says simply before gesturing her hand towards Jesus as the news made the guys look back and forth from one another. "And this is his friend, Jesus." The men just stared at them in silence for a moment before busting up into laughter, but as soon as Niya cocked back the hammer of her gun the laughter quickly died.

Jarrett lightly chuckled, "No shit." He seemed beside himself as he began to step down from the porch and approach her, "He mentioned you a few times. Said you'd be coming. Day after day we would wait for you but, you were nowhere to be found. We began to think you a myth." He eyed her for a moment before looking over at Jesus, "You to due to the world going to complete shit. I'm sure you understand." Jarret then looks back over at Niya."You are a sweet looking thing."

"Looks can be deceiving." Niya smiles, "As far as I'm concerned you're trespassing." Mitch goes to take a step forward and that's when Niya quickly relieves her gun of a single bullet. It crashes into the ground right in front of his foot causing him to stop in his tracks. She then raised her gun and aims it at his head. "Next time I won't miss."

Jarrett takes a deep breath and looks back at the house, "Since the old man is dead-" He begins before looking back at her, " And you being his closest kin. I suppose his house is your house now."

"You could say that."

"And you're going to stay here all by yourself?" Jarrett asked with raised eyebrows. When Niya just stared at him with no emotions shown on her face; He smiled, "How about I make you a deal."

"No." Her quick rejection took Jarrett by surprise as Jesus even looked over at her not sure what to think.

"You don't even want to hear me out, sweetheart?"

Niya sighed unamused by the charm Jarrett was trying to lay on her, "How about I make you a deal. I'm planning on making this a trading post. You leave now. I'll give you some credit towards your first trade but, I don't want to see you back here until it's good and ready. Do you understand?"

Jarrett looked over at his guys who seemed perturbed. It was clear they were used to having the upper hand in these kinds of situations, and they didn't like that position being taken away. When Jarrett smiled, however, his men seemed to groan. That quickly died down once Jarrett lifted up his hand. "We understand. Ain't that right boys?" His men answered in incoherent mumbles and muffles. "The bright side is that this isn't a goodbye." Jarrett winked at Niya before rallying up his boys. "Don't worry. We'll be back."

As the men walked off the property, Jesus looked over at Niya, "This isn't going to be good."

Niya shook her head, "It ain't but, the situation is tilted in my favor."

She went to walk back to the cabin but, Jesus placed a worried hand on her shoulder, " I'm sorry but, I don't see this going well for you unless... Unless you come with me now, because I doubt those men are going to wait until you want them to be here."

"They'll be back tonight I imagine." Niya smiles causing Jesus to look at her bewilderedly as she continues to the cabin. He shakes his head trying to wrap his head around her logic. "And you're happy about that?"

She stops at the porch and turns to face her new friend, "Have you ever heard the saying, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'? Those guys killed my grandfather and they killed the Saviors who my grandfather welcomed into their home."

"The Saviors don't ask permission for anything. They just take what they want, and you'll give them what they want if you want to live. They weren't invited here."

Niya couldn't help but look at Jesus sympathetically. She knew how tough it could be to see something good about someone when they have done horrific things. To see past that is hard to do. Almost impossible at times. "You're a nice man, and even though you were cordial with Edwin, you were still scared to enter his house. Even with the knowledge that he was deceased. Those Saviors found refuge in Edwin's cabin because they knew that he wouldn't have minded. They respected him enough to not ransack his home and take more than they were allowed. The only things they took were the necessary medical supplies. The Saviors aren't the men to fear here." She points in the direction Jarrett and his gang went. "Those men are, and I am planning to serve them up to the Saviors."

Maybe she was right. Maybe she wasn't. At this point, Jesus didn't know what to believe What he did know is that she should be left alone. " Let me stay tonight. That way if they come back you'll have backup."

"They won't come back if you're here. It's all a numbers game to them. The Saviors surprised them when they came for my grandfather. That's why the gunshot wound was where it was on the dead man. It was panicked and not thought out. It's why they waited to come back. Making sure it was quiet. So they wouldn't have any more trouble"

Jesus was beside himself at how sure was that what she was saying was true. "How do you know all this?"

Niya shrugged, "I'm an observer. I take everything in that I can. Rather it is people or my environment. After a while, I start seeing puzzle pieces. The more information I get the clearer the puzzle becomes." Her eyes rest on Jesus', "LIke now. You are torn on what you should do. You want to stay to protect me but, you have other obligations elsewhere. No matter what, you're damned if you do. Damned if you don't. I'll make it simple for you. The sun is going down so you better get moving."

Niya just stares at Jesus as his confliction is a plan to see along with his worry about her. "You don't need to worry about me." She did her best to reassure him. "I can take care of myself. Now don't make me kick you off my property so I can get you to leave."

This seemed to make him smile, "You'll miss."

"Just the first time." She winked before she started to make her way back into the cabin.

Jesus stood at the bottom of the porch's stoop in deliberation as the door closed behind Niya. He began looking around his surroundings to see if he could figure out where the men they saw were hiding. Even though he couldn't see them physically, he could just sense that they were close. Which made it even harder for him to leave.

* * *

As the sun went down Niya took a moment to familiarize herself with her grandfather's home. Doing things that had been neglected; Like dusting. Whatever she could do to waste some time until Jarrett and his men came back. It was almost like there was a bomb inside her head. The back of her mind carried the timer, and she could hear a ticking sound that went off every few seconds.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

When the sun fully set, outside just seemed darker than dark. Usually, you could see shades of black, and shadows dancing in the breeze but, not tonight. Just staring out into the darkness from the kitchen window caused chills to go up Niya's arms. Even her hair on the back of her neck stood up. She began to count as though the timer in her head was getting down to the wire.

Going back to cleaning up the bar, she soon stopped what she was doing. Slowly she looked up at the front door. It slowly cracked opened. "Knock. Knock." A familiar voice called out.

You could almost hear the smile that said the words along with heavy footsteps that creaked the floorboards with every step. Niya's eyes finally rested on Jarrett's as he stood in front of her. He extended his arms out while his men stood behind him. Like his cocky grin behind his eyes.

"Told ya we'd be back."

"That you did," Niya responded as she looked at his men behind him. They looked a pack of wild dogs, and they were hungry. They were practically drooling over what they knew was inevitable. "You're early though."

"What can I say. I'm not a very patient man. When I want something, and I mean really want something. I find it's better to just take it, and ask for forgiveness later from our Lord Jesus Christ." Jarrett crosses his chest slowly with his fingers before he glances around their surroundings, and listens carefully, "Seems like he abandoned you too. Just like the rest of us. So how do you want this to go down sweetheart? The hard way, or the easy way?"

Niya clenches her jaw a bit as she examines each man individually. She knew that Jarrett wouldn't be the to attack her first, and Mitch seemed to be a closer. Not an opener. So that left Ron or Miles. "I know you would feel better if you earned what you wanted. So whatever it is you want, I'm going to make you earn it."

Jarrett jaw clenched at Niya's answer before he let out an amused smile, "Hard way it is then." He then looked over his shoulder as both Moles and Ron made their way to the front.

Swallowing a bit, Niya wiped her hands off with the towel she was holding as the boys approached her. Miles had a grin on his face, and his pace was faster than Ron's she noted. It wasn't on purpose either. It seemed that Ron just lacked the confidence to take her on himself.

When Miles got to a point of Niya's liking she quickly threw the towel at Ron which caused him to flinch back and cover his head to protect himself. The act alone caused Miles to look over at the situation briefly. Giving her enough time to jump over the bar and punch him square in the jaw.

Miles stumbled back. Clasping his jaw with his hand as Niya looked over at Ron. She quickly laid a kick into his abdomen causing him to hunch over before she dropped her elbow at the back of his neck causing him to fall to the ground.

Out of her peripheral vision. She could see Jarrett begin to move in. As he went to punch her, she turned quickly. Moving out of the way while locking his arm with hers against her body. Taking her free hand, she jams her palm upward into his nose, and when she releases her hold he falls to the ground like a bag of potatoes.

Almost out of instinct. Niya lifts her arm and blocks Mitch from punching her. It caught her a bit off guard because she didn't think he would do anything unless Jarrett told him to like everyone else. Apparently, she was mistaken.

Seemingly out of nowhere; Niya felt what she could only describe as a brick crashing into her skull. Sliding across her forehead until she found herself on the ground. Regaining her balance, she checked her head with her hand, and she could already feel the blood running down her face. When she looked over, Niya saw Jarrett with some sort of object in his hand, and when she looked back towards Mitch, he was already pushing his next fist forward. Then everything went black.


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four: Unwelcomed Guests**

Going in and out of consciousness, Niya almost felt like she was floating but, it was only Mitch carrying her. She could tell they were outside due to the crisp air hitting her face. It almost to her breath away before she was thrown off the porch. The landing was hard, and she couldn't help but groan as pain shot through the shoulder that she had landed on. The sudden sensation woke her up to the real world. Encouraging her to get back to her feet where she was greeted by a smiling Jarret.

She begins to fill her mouth with a cocktail of saliva and blood before spitting it in his face. With him blinded momentarily, She reaches her arm around his head and lowers it while driving her knee into the bridge of his nose cracking it on impact. The blow caused him to tumble over instantly in pain. Mitch then rushes in behind her. Grabbing her in a bear hug while Ron charges towards her. She had to think quickly.

The man running towards her was the immediate threat. So she lifted herself up kicking him in the chest with both of her feet. She then crashes the back of her skull into Mitch's head behind her before flipping him up over her back. When she stumbles down to a knee feeling dizzy, Jarrett, with blood dripping from his nose came running, and his boot quickly made contact with the right side of Niya's face.

Her head is ringing as she looks down at her shadow that seemed to be getting larger by the second. Soon, a pair of black boots are standing in front of her. When she looks up she notices a man towering over her as this sense of the end began to come over her making her smirk. If this was how she was going out, she was going to do so on her own two feet, and not down on her hands and knees like a dog.

Taking a deep breath she tried to stand and quickly found it difficult. Her head caused her to feel a bit disoriented with each escalating shot of pain. When she got up to a knee, she felt a hand on her shoulder. It wasn't forceful; Like trying to shove her back down to the ground. It was one of comforting reassurance. It caused Niya to look up and examined the man in front of her. He was wearing a black leather jacket that was accented with a red looking scarf around his neck. His attention was drawn to the men behind her while he began to twirl what seemed to be a baseball bat in his hands.

"Looks like there's a fuckin' party going on and I wasn't invited." She couldn't help but notice the sarcasm in the man's voice, "Were you invited Simon?"

"Can't say that I was."

"You weren't." Mitch spat through clenched teeth, "We're just here for this cunt."

Niya could hear the heavy man's footsteps coming but, there was no time to brace herself as a heavy force came crashing down on her back, and causing another shooting pain to spread throughout her body as she tumbled over gasping for air.

The man in front of her had stepped between her and the large man. "You planning on beating her. Raping her?"

Ron began to approach the man like he was on a mission before he pointed his bat at him and making him stop in his tracks. The act alone caused Ron to become irritated that the bat wielder put a barrier between them.

"She's ours. We'll do as we like." Miles said with a grin.

This seemed to aggravate the batman as his grip on the baseball bat tightened. A grin appearing on his face. "Is that so?"

"You going to stop us old man?"Jarret finally addressed the man while Niya began to get back up on her knees.

The batman approached her as the sound of the force behind him readied their guns filled the air. This got Jarret's group to back up as he knelt down to her level.

He lifts her chin up and looks deep into her eyes. "Is what these fuckin' idiots saying true. Are you their property?" Niya tries to gain her bearings as her body trembles. "No." She sees the man smile as he stands back up and turns to address his men. "You hear that boys?"

"We heard it." The man he addressed as Simon confirms her words with a smile.

"Light these sons of bitches up!" Batman yelled before pointing his bat at Jarret. "But leave the smart-mouthed one to me. He's going to be our example."

Niya flitches at the sudden sound of gunfire as bodies begin to fall around her. Soon there was a deafening silence. All she could hear was the man breathing heavily behind her. When she looked over her shoulder she could see that Jarrett's eyes were as large as saucers. His hands were clenched in anger while he looked at his comrade's bodies around him. When he went to look in her direction she slowly turned her head away from him.

"You killed my men," Jarrett said simply before his anger began to show. "You fuckin' asshole. YOU KILLED MY MEN!" He tried to attack the bat wielder but, his men quickly grabbed him before he even got in arms reach.

The man in the leather jacket just chuckled as he walked up to Jarrett. Wrapping his hand over his jaw as his face became stern. "I'm just getting started." Tossing Jarret's face to the side, he straightens himself up. "Take him to the truck. We'll deal with him, and the rest of his people later. For now-"

She had to look over her shoulder as the sudden sound of a gunned hand rattled behind her head. The man who was holding the gun quickly cocked it as though he had to make it a point that he knew how to use it. It also made it obvious that the man wasn't familiar with holding the weapon. Let alone taking a life. So apparently this was the night he was going to prove himself.

The man holding the bat stepped forward. Taking his stance in front of her. He stood there in waiting for her to acknowledge him, "Does he make you nervous?"

Niya moved her gaze upward to meet the man who was talking to her with smiling brown eyes. He seemed pleased with himself. Either it was because he saved the damsel in distress, or because he knew he had the upper hand. Probably a mixture of both she assumed.

"Shit. He would make me nervous with all that rattling." This caused the man behind her to press the barrel of his gun to the back of her head. Probably to help steady his hand. When she looked down to the ground due to the sudden pressure. The batman then put the end of his bat, that she now noticed had barbed wire wrapped around it, under her chin to lift up her crimson covered head.

"Hi. I'm Negan. And I just saved your damn life." Negan looked around and there was nothing but silence. "You alone little red?"

Trying to gain her bearings, she took some deep breaths as she looked in Negan's eyes. He reminded her of her drill sergeants back in training. If you talked when spoken to, did what they told you to do, and showed them the respect they think they rightfully deserve, then there were fewer issues. At this point in time, Niya didn't want to have any more issues. Straightening up the best she could on her knees, she did her best to try to show him that she would be obedient. "Yes, sir."

Her response seemed to please Negan as his smile grew while he looked to the man he called Simon to his right. He was a skinny man with dark facial hair and a dark receding hairline that resembled the number three. "You hear that Simon? Yes, sir." Negan laughs, "Now you wouldn't lie to me would you?"

"No, sir."

"Bullshit." a man barked as he came forward. It caused Niya to look at him. He was a bit shorter than Simon with short black hair and getting a good look at him, she could see how young he was. Sixteen or eighteen if she had to guess. One side of his neck was scarred by a chemical burn. "Ain't no way she took out that many men by herself." She watched as Negan kept staring at her as he began to wave his bat in front of her face in deliberation. It almost resembled a grandfather's clock pendulum swinging back and forth but, she also knew it was his way of keeping her in check. A scare tactic. "He has a point. How does a little girl like you take out four of my guys all by yourself?"

She looked at him a bit confused for a moment. Not only by the question itself but how he said it. It was almost like he wanted her to show him, and he was giving her permission to make his guy, the one holding the pistol to her head an example. So when the sound of the gun began to become more unstable, She looked at Negan before quickly moving her head to the side as the sound of a bullet came whistling past her ear.

Wrapping her arm around the arm of the guy behind her, she pulled him down and elbowed him in the face before taking his gun from his hands, emptying the clip, and releasing the bullets out of its chamber. She then hands it over bunt first to Negan; Who seems to be impressed. Taking the gun from her hand, he looked down at his man on the ground who was out cold.

Sliding the pistol into his pants. He looked back over at the guy on his left. "Does that answer your fuckin' question?"

Negan began to chew on the toothpick that was dangling from his mouth as he let out a sigh. He begins to exam Niya over. Taking a few mental notes before running his hand over his stubbled muzzle. "Now I find myself between a rock and a hard place. My men have told me that you're apart of Hilltop. They've seen you talking to the man they call Jesus. So which one is it? Are you alone, or do you have people? Now, remember, you already said you wouldn't lie to me."

His warning was heard loud and clear as she answered after clearing her throat. "I'm alone-" before she could continue the man on his left came charging at her with a gun out and already pointed at her head.

She straightened herself up to tell the man that she wasn't scared of him, and that's when Negan waved his arm to have the man lower his weapon. The guy did so with little to no hesitation. Niya then returned her gaze to Negan.

"A man from Hilltop came by to talk trade. That's it."

Nodding his head, Negan turned to his men with his arms up, "Guess that clears everything up. We can pack the fuck up and go home." Negan began to laugh along with his men. Apparently, Niya didn't catch the joke as Negan turned back around to face her. This time getting down to her level which seemed to be where the joke ended. "You missed the part where this-" Negan gestures to the house behind them with his bat. "Is my house, and my men were occupying my house, and you know what." He looked around like he was having a realization. "I don't seem to see them anywhere. Did- Did you kill my men?."

Niya didn't know how to respond, because to Negan, apparently, there were more than just the two Saviors that she dealt with. Taking a moment to think things over, Negan began to swing the bat back and forth in front of her face as he silently recited, "Tick. Tock."

"Not the first time." She stated. Not realizing how it may have sounded.

Negan gaze turned to one of confusion, "Not the first time. Are you saying that you've killed more of my men?"

"No, sir." She stayed calm. Knowing that in situations like these it's best not to panic. If you do, it just makes you seem guilty in front of your accuser. "When I arrived there were two dead men inside. One had a gun wound on his right side, and the other was bitten. I shot them in the head and buried them a mile east. Their graves are marked with crosses. I can take you to them if you'd like to collect them."

There was no emotion on Negan's face as he stared at her. Searching her face of any signs of deception. The situation played out in his head on what really happened to his men, and the only thing he could think about was the wound she mentioned. Did she put it there? Did someone else put it there? What happened after that didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out. The guy died of the gunshot. Turned. Bit the other turning him but, where did his other men go? The more he looked at her face. The more he believed that she didn't do it. Soon he began to smile as he moved some hair from her face.

"Damn. I bet you'd be real pretty if you weren't covered in absolute shit. How about we go inside. Get you cleaned up." He nodded. "Yeah. Let's do that. Let's get to know each other better."

As he began to stand, he grabbed a handful of Niya's shirt. Helping her up to her feet. "Simon. Jeremy. You're with me. Everyone else stands guard. Make sure we don't have any visitors. We're having a housewarming party." Before they go inside the house, Negan turns to her and straightens out her shirt that he wrinkled with his fisted hand. "What's your name darling. I didn't catch it."

In Niya's head, she wanted to respond with. "That's because I didn't give it." But he was a man who liked to be in control, and until she figures out more about what she has found herself in- she knew she better play by his rules. For now.

"Niya."

"Niya." He repeated. Getting his mouth familiar with it. "Ain't that pretty."

Opening the door for her. He gestured for her to enter with his bat.

"Ladies first."

After cleaning herself up in the bathroom, Niya just leaned against the sink as she looked blankly at herself in the mirror. It's been a while since she has actually looked at herself, she almost didn't recognize her own reflection staring back at her.

For the first time, she didn't know what to expect from another person. People have been so easy to read before now. Especially now when there was no one to stop or punish those who now act on their darkest deepest desires. It was amazing how people can lose their conscious, their moral compass so quickly in tragic situations when there were no longer consequences to endure or fear.

Once she went downstairs who knew what might happen. The only thing she could assume was there would be some sort of negotiation or perhaps an interrogation. At the moment they just seemed one and the same.

Her thoughts were startled by a sudden aggressive knock at her door.

"You alright in there princess? Or do I need to come in and rescue you again?"

Niya couldn't help but stare at herself and notice a hint of annoyance in Negan's voice. She began to wonder how long exactly she's been in the bathroom but, she knew what she was doing. Stalling. Stalling from something she knew was going to happen no matter how long she took. Another heavy impatient knock echoed through the bathroom.

"Come on now. I don't want to be the big bad wolf here but, if you don't come out here I will huff, I will puff, and blow this door down, and drag your ass out here."

Taking a deep breath, Niya finally opens the door seemingly causing Negan to stop himself mid swing before taking a step back, and taking a good look at her. Right then and there he knew she was either going to be trouble or an asset. Taking her beauty in for a second he smirked.

"Ho...ly…. Shit. And here I thought you fell down the shitter." He then stepped closer to her taking notice of the bandage on her head. He remembered it from earlier and knew it needed more than a bandage. "In the morning you're coming with me. Taking you to see our doctor. He'll take care of that cracked noggin. Make it seem like it never happened"

"I'll keep the reminder."

This was the first time Negan had received any sort of resistance from her, and he began to wonder why. Here he was offering his help. Even giving her a referral to his own personal doctor, and she was just going to decline without much of a thought or a yes sir.

When he thought about it more, he could only think of one reason why she would want to keep it. Just the beginning of creating the illusion that she was unattractive. He looked at her really seriously. His eyes commanded her attention, and she was sure to give it as he lowered his voice.

"You think it's going to make a difference? If it's warm and it moves- Hell, it doesn't even have to move." The look in his eyes and the amused smile he had on his face let her know the truth behind his words. No matter how many scars she kept, there was no stopping the predatory savagery that has been implanted in the human body since the beginning of time.

As the two ventured down the stairs, Negan couldn't help but notice a small arrangement of dusty photos on an end table. One, in particular, caught his eye. It was one with a little girl it in but, it wasn't the little girl he was interested in. It was the necklace she was wearing. Picking it up he looks more closely at it before looking over at Niya. Who was fiddling with the same necklace around her neck. "You gotta be shittin' me." He then looked at the little girl before flipping the photo for Niya to see as he tapped his index finger on the front of it. "This is you isn't it? You're the old shits granddaughter." His smile grew at the realization as he gestured to her with the photo in hand, "So this is YOUR house."

Cautiously, Niya takes the picture from Negan and sets it back where it was while he takes a mental note."It was." He picked up on how she said "was" which widen his smile as he picked the picture back up and carried it with him behind the bar.

He wanted to press her buttons. See how far he could push her. " I like you, Niya. You catch on quick. Makes things a whole lot easier on me." Placing the picture on the bar top, he turns it for Niya to see.

She kept an eye on him. Playing by his rules, because people like him will make sure to make your life a living hell if you don't. While her instinct was telling her to go sit at the bar, she knew to wait for permission. Even if it meant standing there looking lost and uncomfortable in a house that she should feel so comfortable in. Niya knew Negan was enjoying it. Especially since he got to make a show of it.

"Why don't you take a seat at the bar," Negan finally spoke. "And let me pour you a goddamn drink. You look like you could use one." He gets out a few small glasses and begins to pour whiskey into them. "Now, I'm going to make this real easy for you. Either you come with me or you die. Simple as that."

Niya sat quietly as she looks at Negan as he passes out the shot glasses except for the one that was for her. His hand rested on the glass, and he wasn't going to slide the drink over until she told him what he wanted to hear but, what she couldn't understand is why her options were so bleak.

"Those my only options?"

The sudden sound of Negan's bat hitting the bar top caused Niya to look at him. His features now stern. To him, the answer was easy, because living sounded a whole lot better than dying, and the fact that she was even contemplating which would be better seemed to piss him off.

"What other options do you have darling? You would have been dead if it wasn't for me coming to your fuckin' rescue. Would you have rather me watched them fuck you and take their turns? Maybe I should have brought a chair and some mother fuckin' popcorn. Fuck your options. You OWE me for saving your goddamn life."

Niya realized that he was being nice when he was giving her options. Making it seem like she had a choice when in reality she didn't. There was a question she needed to be answered, however, "Why did you?" She asked as she slowly looked up from his bat and into his eyes. "Why did you save me? That's one more person to feed. One more person to look out for. One more person you have to keep track of."

Negan just stared back at her almost like he was having an internal struggle. Trying to figure out if she was being serious. He leaned closer to her with a cocky smug smile.

"You ever hear how one bad apple ruins the bunch? Well, I just got rid of a whole bunch of bad apples. Which means I just saved us a whole bunch of fuckin' orchards filled with round, juicy, wet, ripe apples for the picking." He smiles, "You see, for me, if I allow men to go around committing rape than my goal of rebuilding civilization can never be achieved." Placing his hands on the counter, Negan slowly grazes his tongue over his upper teeth almost in thought. "And like I said. You owe me, and what good are you to me dead?"

"What if all you did was save a bad apple, and now you're just risking your precious garden of Eden." Looking between the men around her, she first looked at the man he called Simon who was just finishing his shot before looking over at Jeremy. He turned his head from the jukebox he was looking at. They didn't seem to care what she was trying to say. "Look around you. You notice anything?" She asked as she turned her attention to Negan. "The difference between you and me is that you have people. I don't. Do you want to know why? Because everyone who comes in contact with me dies. One way or another."

Negan slides the shot glass over at Niya, "I think I'll take my chances."

Just looking at him. The way he stood, the look he carried himself just radiated confidence. Shaking her head, she looked down at her lap. It wasn't like she didn't warn him, and it seems like he wasn't going to take no for answer. In fact, it seemed like he was going to do everything it took to get her on his side.

"How do you want me to repay you?" Her jaw clenched as it was hard to not only ask but to admit that she did actually owe him. Niya's question alone seemed to perk Negan up as he gave her smirk. "Oh, I have all sorts of things you can do. You don't have to worry about that."

Niya couldn't help but narrow her eyes at him as she looked up from the table. She almost wondered if she would have been better off with the other group. At Least than she knew what she was dealing with. Here she was not only clueless but, completely outnumbered. For all she knew, he could have the same intentions as the men who came before, but instead of just taking, he wanted to get her permission.

Negan looked around the home as he straightened himself up. "So where is the old fart. We had a deal." When he looked back at Niya, just the features on her face let him know that he was no longer amongst the living. The smile that he had begun to fade as he out an open hand over his heart. "I am truly, from the bottom of my heart sorry for your loss. Your old man was a stubborn bastard but, he was personal. Wouldn't let my guys deal with him. Had to be me. What was it that he told you, Simon?"

Simon leaned back a bit from the bar and thought for a minute before chuckling to himself. He shook his head for a bit before clearing his throat, "I think his words were, now I may be paraphrasing here but, I believe they were: If that sonofabitch wants to talk to me so bad the fucker can come down here himself and do it. His legs aren't broke. Tell him to be a man, and to stop sending his bitches."

Laughter filled the air once Simon was done. It caused Niya to look amongst the group of men around her before she looked at Negan who began to speak, " Never a dull moment with the fucker. I always got a kick out of him telling me how it is. At Least he was honest. It's more than I can say about a lot of people nowadays. So how'd he go out? I hope to god it wasn't in his sleep, because he deserved to go out in a blaze of glory."

"They killed him."

Niya's words intrigued Negan as he raised his eyebrows, "The men that we just dealt with?"

She nodded." They noosed him up in a tree, and then they shot him in the head. Your boys must have startled them."

The pieces began to piece together for Negan, "Son. Of. A. Bitch." His two missing men were probably chased off or they were just another casualty. He had to find out for certain because if they deserted their post, they needed to be dealt with.

"What kind of deal did you have with Edwin-My grandfather?" It was a question that had been tickling at the back of Niya's mind.

Negan exhaled deeply, "If he provided me with something fucking useful every week, he got to stay in my goddamn house, and we would keep the Walkers off his lawn. My boys were here to collect but, they never came back. So I sent Jeremy out to find out where the fuckers went. That's when he saw you and that Hilltop cunt. So I wanted to come down here to find out what the fuck was going on, personally."

Niya simply nodded her head bit as she swallowed, "You can still have that deal." She looked at Negan. Keeping his gaze, "Let me stay here, and I'll keep up my grandfather's end of the bargain. Nothing has to chance."

Her gesture made Negan smirk, "I admire you for wanting to continue what your old man started but, these are entirely under different circumstances. His deal died when he died, and he was never indebted to me like you are little red. This house is mine. The barn is mine. The shed is mine. Everything in the fucking buildings are mine, and now you are mine."

"Until my debt is paid." Niya was quick to retort.

"Until I say your debt is paid." Negan corrects her as they have a bit of a stare down. "We're going to have a long fucking road ahead of us. Especially if you keep the fuckin tude. So why don't we all go get some shut eye and we'll leave in the morning."

Niya goes to stand to leave but, Negan wiggles a finger at her, "Where do you think you're going. Do you actually think I would allow you to go all by your fuckin' lonesome? Out of respect of your grandfather, I'm going to handle this personally. We're going to share a room. That way I can make sure you don't fuckin' run off on me."

He makes his way around the bar while Simon gets up from his seat and Jeremy walks away from the jukebox. "Boys, you stay in whatever fuckin' room you like. Just not the master bedroom. That room belongs to us."

Simon turns to Negan and Salutes, "Yes, Sir."

His little jab at Niya makes Negan chuckle as he offers a hand to Niya. "Shall we?"

Hesitantly, Niya takes his hand and is started by the abruptness of how fast he stood her up; Bringing her closer to him, " You don't have to fuckin' worry about me, or my men taking advantage of you. You understand? That's not what we are about. If you want it, I will be happy to fuck you when and whenever you damn well, please. All you would have to do is ask." They stood there in silence. It was almost like Negan was waiting on her to ask him but, after a while, he tugged at her arm and escorted her up to their room where he could keep an eye on her.


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five: That's Just The Start**

Niya slept in what seemed to be forever. Maybe it was due to the fact that she was in a familiar place, or because she knew that The Saviors wouldn't let anything happen to her till her debt was paid. The only thing she could recall throughout the night was the occasional checks she would do through groggy eyes to see if Negan was still sleeping on the brown floral couch.

It was the couch her grandfather used once her grandmother passed away. She was surprised that he even let her have the bed since it seemed like he enjoyed reminding people where they stood. Beneath him.

The next time she opened her eyes he was no longer there; Just the sun peeking through the sheer curtains wishing her a good morning. Even though he wasn't there, Niya could still feel a presence in the room. It's a feeling that's hard to explain. It's nothing physical you can see or hear it's just something in the air that you can feel. Like your feeling that person's aura.

When she turned in the direction where the feeling was coming from, there stood Jesus. He was standing in the shadow of the opened door that leads out into the hallway. His bright blue eyes seemed to light the darkness as he placed his index finger over his lips. Telling her to keep quiet as he slowly closed the door.

She couldn't help but smile, "Sooner or later." Niya mused, "Now here we are at the bridge." Her voice was low as Jesus made his way towards her. "That bridge is here to lead you to Hilltop."

He extended his hand to her with a sort of smile. Niya's gaze fell on his hand before her smile faded, "And when they figure out I'm missing, where do you think they'll look first?"

She then looked into his eyes as he just stared back at her. She could tell that he felt this sort of obligation to protect her.

"You don't owe my grandfather anything. You may not know it but, you probably did as much for him as he did for you. So do yourself and your people a favor, and go. I'll be fine." She gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't think of this as a goodbye. Think of it as an- I'll see you later."

He stood there deliberating before he looked at her like it would be the last time. It reminded her of the look Colt gave her before she left through the fire escape. Jesus' gaze finally fell from hers when he heard whistling followed by footsteps coming towards the door. He then gave her a nod and left the same way he came in she assumed. Through the window.

No sooner than he left there was a literal knock on the door followed with a verbal one, "Knock, Knock, Knock."

The door creaked open and Negan poked his head in with a smile, "There's sleeping beauty. Now if you don't mind rolling your fine ass out of bed. I have a surprise for you."

Niya couldn't help but internally rolled her eyes as she got out of bed and began to walk up to him, "Is this surprise of yours going to fall in the category of an I owe you?" She watched as the grin on his face seemed to widen, and his eyes got this sort of twinkle in them. "No, but, if you want I can start running you up a tab." He leaned in closer towards her, "Consider this one on the house."

They stood there a moment, and Niya couldn't help but wonder what the hold up was exactly. He wasn't moving, and without him moving she couldn't get through the doorway without getting physical, "You going to lead the way, let ladies go first, or you just going to stand there and stare at me getting us nowhere."

"To be honest I think I'll stand here and stare at you a moment if you don't mind." He lifted his arm and leaned it on the door getting himself in a comfortable position. "You're not scared of me are you?"

"And apparently you haven't seen a woman in a long time. Glad we've cleared this up." She gestures her hand towards the door in an after you fashion but, he wiggled his finger at her as he immersed himself further into the room. "I think we should take a moment to get to know each other better."

"I have a feeling we are going to have a whole lot of moments getting to know each other. So how about we skip the pleasantries and just get to business."

"I'm in no hurry for what's to come. It could happen today, tomorrow, I don't give a damn, because no matter what it's going to happen, and it's going to happen on my time. So If I want to get to know you better here and now... Then that's what's going to happen. So I suggest you get comfortable." He takes a seat at the edge of the bed letting out a relieved sigh as he eyes her up and down getting a knowing smile, "Were you a cop before all the shit went down?"

Folding her arms across her chest, Niya pivots back on her right foot a bit, "No."

Raising his eyebrows he waited for her to elaborate, and when she didn't he couldn't help but smirk, "Just wondering because I have that shit head downstairs. You know the one that had a hand in killing your grandfather. I personally have put him through the wringer, and he still won't tell me where his people are. So I figured you could start paying off your debt by playing good cop but since you don't have any experience-" He begins to stand up, "Guess I'm shit outta luck."

Thinking a moment, Niya lets him walk a few steps past her, "Just because I wasn't a cop doesn't mean I can't play nice."

She couldn't see the smirk that appeared on his face before he turned around to face her. He seemed to be ecstatic to get her onboard, "Little Red being a team player. That's what I like to hear. Now let's see if you can't get the canary to sing for me. Hell, if you get him to sing I might make your debt easier to pay off." He gave her a wink before he began to chuckle to himself while he leads the way downstairs.

It didn't take her long to see Jarret through the banisters as she descended the stairs. He was tied to a chair in the dining room just coated in his own blood. She didn't know where he ended and the blood began. The closer she got, she could tell that most of it was coming from his head. The rest, however, was dripping from his nose, mouth, and a cut that ran across the brow of his right eye. She even noticed that there was a knife sticking out of his thigh.

Negan couldn't help but look at Niya to see what her reaction would be. He was a bit surprised that she seemed so calm and collective about the whole thing. The only thing he did notice was the fact her jaw was slightly clenched. Probably due to the fact of what the prick did more than anything else. He watched her closely, however, as everyone one else did in the room accept Jarrett.

The room was eerily quiet until Niya grabbed a chair of her own and took a seat across from Jarrett. She didn't feel sorry for the man in any way shape or form, and even though Negan wanted answers, so did she.

Looking at the knife in his leg, she exhaled deeply, "Why did you do it. Why did you kill him?" You could hear the people adjust themselves in the room to look over at Jarrett to see what his answer would be.

Her blood began to boil when he just sat there with his head hung low as though he was already defeated. Grabbing the knife in his leg, she didn't hesitate to turn it just slightly causing him to swing his head back and letting out a painful agonizing scream. "This is how this is going to work, Jarrett. I ask you a question. You answer it. The more questions you answer, the less pain you'll feel. Understand?"

When he didn't answer, she twisted the knife even more. The act alone caused him to bite down on his bottom lip to contain his scream making it internal. "From the looks of it, this knife is dug into your femoral artery. If I remove it, you'll bleed to death."

Jarret looked into her eyes before looking over to Negan, "You're just fuckin' like him." He said almost in spite before looking at her, "Always wanting things the hard way when things could have been peaceful. Nobody had to die."

"Seems like we all have that in common." She gestures to his wounds causing him to chuckle, "Yeah, well, I'm this way because I want to save lives not because I wanted to be a bitch."

"Heh. Is that so." Niya smiles to herself as she sits back getting real comfortable in her chair, "And what do you think you're being now. A hero. If that's true, then you would have already told us what we wanted to know." Jarrett began to shake his head as she continued, "If you don't tell us what we want your people are screwed when he finds them. You want to know why, because you won't be there to be their voice of reason."

Jarret clears his throat; Spitting out some blood before he looked into Niya's eyes with his teared filled ones. His breathing was heavy, and before long he was shaking his head, "It wasn't supposed to go down that way. Not with the old man." His voice sounded broken. Like he regretted what happened.

"We came to him for help, and since he was old-" He shrugged, "I figured we could help him but, he shot at us and…" His voice began to tremble while his eyes darted around the room like whatever happened was happening all over again in front of him, "Everything just went to shit after that. He was being so fuckin' crazy. Losing his damn mind is what it was. When we came back we didn't - Everything happened so fast and everything just..." He trailed off a bit looking away from everyone before continuing, "Before I knew it my boys had him hanging from that tree. Then these random ass guys started shooting at us. All we wanted to do was spook him into giving us what we wanted. When we got the other guys to retreat- I had a reputation to hold as a leader. As their leader. I didn't have a choice."

"You're the one who shot him in the head."

"It was either that or watch him suffer. He didn't deserve that."

"He didn't deserve to die either." Niya quickly reached over and pulled the knife out of Jarrett's leg causing blood to squirt out of the wound it left behind. This action even caused Negan to walk towards Niya as he leaned in and began to talk into her ear, "As much as I'm enjoying your show here, I don't see how this is getting me what I want."

Niya just looked at him, "Since you're so fawned of playing hero, Jarrett." She looks down at her imaginary watch, "I'd say you have four, maybe five minutes give or take to tell Negan where your people are."

She just watched Jarrett as his lips quivered to the point where he had to press them together to keep them still. The clock was still ticking while the puddle of blood on the floor began to expand with every drop of blood that dripped down his leg.

Shaking his head, Jarrett knew if he wasn't around when Negan found his people they would just talk shit and spit on him no matter how much firepower he had. It was something he didn't want to think about let alone know before he died because it would be his fault. Just like it was his fault that the old man was dead. "Bandage up my leg, and I'll take you there."

Niya cleared her throat a bit, "What was that?" His voice was low when he said it, and she wanted to make sure that Negan and his men heard him.

The question seemed to anger Jarrett as he spoke louder, "Bandage my fuckin' leg, and I'll take you alright?"

Negan straightened up a bit surprised that she got the job done but, there was a problem, "That's not good enough." His words even caused Niya to look up at him along with Jarrett, "You see, you're up shit creek without a paddle, and I don't have a fucking life preserver. Your best luck for your people is if you tell me exactly where they are before you die, right here."

Niya couldn't help but shake her head while Jarrett began to panic. "Wha- Wha- What kind of shit is this?"

Getting up, she tossed her chair out of frustration towards Negan. First, she went to the kitchen and grabbed a towel out of one of the drawers. It may not have been the most sterile thing in the world but, it would work for what she needed it for. Then, she began to take off her belt while returning back to Jarrett. She placed the towel over his wound and pressed down on it hard. Taking her belt, she wrapped it around his leg and pulled tight so it would mimic the pressure she had on it before latching it in place.

"Hot damn. Isn't she just full of surprises." Simmon noted as his eccentricity of a voice took over the room.

Negan looked over at Niya impressed with her actions before she looked over at him, "You're going to need him if you want his people to co-operate."

Looking over at Jarrett, Niya let out a sigh before she excused herself to the other room. Negan looked after her a moment before giving Jarrett his full attention, "Looks like I had a life preserver for you after all." He smiled at the kid before following in Niya's footsteps.

He found her in the living staring out one of the windows that looked over the back yard. When she was in the kitchen she seems so confident in what she was doing. So sure of herself that she could get what he wanted, but now she seemed almost broken. Like she regretted it. "You have experience in this." She didn't formally confirm his suspicion, and she didn't have to. He could just tell that this wasn't her first rodeo, and all her silence did was confirm it. "Were you going to let him bleed out before getting me what I wanted?"

"I was." Niya looked up at Negan, "Until I figured out that what he did for my grandfather wasn't out of maliciousness intent." She went to turn away from him but she hesitated and looked back, "Just so you know if he hadn't of co-operated I would have gotten you where you wanted to go."

"Is that so?" He stepped closer to her with an inquisitive expression, "How would you have managed that?"

"Retraced their steps." She points towards the front of the cabin, "They came from the west, and from what I gathered from our conversation he prefers things to be easy. The safest path going that way would more than likely lead you right to where his people are."

"No shit, and you got that from one tiny conversation?" She nodded her head and he was almost speechless, "So you're what. A jack of all trades but a master of none?"

"You can say that." Her response made him raise his eyebrows, "What exactly are you capable of?"

Niya sort of gives him a smile, "Stuff and things." Thinking for a moment, she began to wonder if she should tell him about Jesus. She thought that maybe it would be best coming from her than someone else. "Jesus came for me earlier. He wanted to take me to Hilltop."

Negan stared down at her for a long time while he tried to wrap his mind around the news. What came to mind first was how he got past his defenses. The second was why she didn't go with him. "And why exactly are you telling me this?"

"So you know exactly what kind of person I am. That, and so when I told you how much your defenses suck you might actually set your ego aside for a moment and take my word for it." Taking a step closer to him, she felt the need to lower voice, "You need to fix that. You just can't wing it and hope everything works out in your favor all because you have the numbers."

Negan chuckled while he wondered what angle she was playing at. She was showing him the qualities that he liked and in away loyalty. "At this point in our lives, I think it's safe to say we are all winging it."

He goes to walk away but she catches his attention, "You know what they say right. Shit in one hand, hope in the other, and see which one fills up faster." Negan slowly looks over at Niya over his shoulder which seems to trigger her to step forward, "What happens now?"

"Now, we gather our shit, head over to dick's heads camp, and see if we can't recruit them to the team." He turns and smiles down at her. Patting her on the shoulder like he was saying 'good job' before finally walking away, "Boys!... Let's get this party started."

She almost wondered if she should have acquired what would happen to Jarrett's people if they didn't want to become team Negan but, something told her the only answer she would receive was on the lines of you'll have to wait and see.

"Little Red." Negan pointed his barbwire bat at her. "Why don't you be a doll and help Jarrett here get ready for transport."

Niya couldn't help but look over at Jarrett as Negan went to talk to his people. Letting out a sigh, she walked over to him and began to untie him from the red-stained chair. As she did, his eyes just watched her work; Tying his hands from behind him to in front of him. "I'm sorry." His words caused her to stop what she was doing and return his gaze, "For everything."

Thinking about the situation, she nodded her head a bit, "Don't be. It would have happened even if I wasn't here. But because I am, you and your people have a chance."

This seemed to make Jarrett smile charmingly, "A thank you then?"

Niya couldn't help but search his eyes and see what she saw in them the first time they met. His facade that he used to get what he wanted. With how much he liked to use it, he probably had a lot of success with it.

Fake it till you make it came to mind as she tugged him out of the chair and to his feet. "You can thank me by making this a smooth transition. Do you and your people have any safety protocols?"

"Yeah." He stumbled a bit trying to get his footing, "When we arrive with new people we say Beda. It lets them know that they'll be alright. Like you darlin'."

"Beda huh." She knew the word. It was Russian for trouble which seemed to be where Jarrett was headed. Niya just stared at Jarrett for a moment before looking around at Negan's men getting ready to leave. It made her wonder how many men Jarrett had to put them at risk. Was he that confident that they could take them out, stupid, or maybe he just didn't care anymore? Maybe to him, he was already a dead man and he was going to do whatever it took to take as many people down with him.

"Are we going to leave here ladies or are we just going to stare at each other longingly all day?" Simon chimed in but it didn't get Niya's attention as she looked back at Jarrett. It caused the right-hand man to tilt his head in suspicion and wonder, "Is there a problem here I should be aware of, because if this is some Romeo and Juliet shit-"

"How many people do you want to die today, Jarrett?" The question she asks causes Jarrett's facade to fade, "One. Two. Everyone. No one. How many?"

"Does it matter?" His reply made it seem like he had no other choice.

Niya looked over at Simon, "Do you want to die today?"

He just stared at Niya wondering where she was going with this since it was obvious that he was clearly missing some context, "Not particularly."

"Yeah, I don't particularly want to die either. So why don't you tell me how many people will die if Jarrett here-" Niya puts her arm around Jarrett. Tapping him on the shoulder a bit as though she was telling him to pay attention. "Doesn't cooperate?"

Simon motorboated his lips in thought, "What does that Intel exactly if I can acquire."

"Jarrett believes he is doing everyone a favor by not giving us the correct password to get inside his clubhouse."

"I told you the word is Beda."

"Which means trouble." Jarrett's eyes grew in surprise that Niya knew that while Simon becomes more intrigued in the conversation.

"Everyone." Simon begins as he steps closer to Jarrett, " Everyone that you know, trust, and love anyway." He then laughs putting his hands on his chest, "We'll be fine though. So at least you don't have to worry about that."

Niya looks at Jarrett while he stares at Simon's smiling face, "It matters. You are responsible for everyone back at your camp right now. Do you want them to die senselessly knowing you could have done something to save them."

"I'm dead no matter what I give you, and I should have the right to decide how I die. If you say Beda, they will know I didn't betray them. They will know that I tried to save them by warning them and giving them a chance to defend themselves."

"You want them to go out fighting is that it? That's what you want for them." Looking over at Simon Niya couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "What usually happens in these situations?"

"Well, if he is a good boy he sacrifices himself for the greater good and we all rejoice at the new alliance we made in his name. Hell of a good time." Sighing, he raises his bushy eyebrows, "If not well, let's just say it would be like they were never here. The only thing that will be left of them are photos we place up in their memory. Not the greatest in the world. You would really have to have an appreciation for the arts."

Simon looks over at Niya before she tilts her head and looks at Jarrett, "How do you want to be remembered. As a Savior, or a man who was responsible for an unnecessary slaughter, because what you do today I will never forget."

"STOP FIDDLING WITH YOURSELVES AND LET'S GO!"

Negan's voice fills up the house making Simon sigh heavily, "Duty calls."

Nodding her head in understanding, she pushes Jarrett forward so he would be walking in between her and Simon. It seemed like everyone's eyes were on them once they were outside, and once they had Jarrett secured in the back of one of the trucks, Simon took it upon himself to pull Niya to the side without warning and causing her to stumble.

"What exactly will we be driving into here?" Niya wasn't really sure what to say as she straightened herself up and looked over at Negan who was watching them. Everything was in Jarrett's hands now.

"Prepare for the worst. Hope for the best." Niya tapped him on the shoulder after her "encouraging" words before heading to the front of the truck where she helped herself to the passenger seat.

Simon stares after her a moment before making his way over to Negan who was looking at him with a bit of a smirk painted on his face, "You seem uneasy."

"Little shit gave us a bozo password to get inside. Whether or not he'll change his tune once we get there is up in the air." He gestures with his hands as though he has thrown confetti in the air.

Negan couldn't help but evert his eyes back to the truck, "What's the word, Simon?"

"Beda, and if shit goes down-" He nods his head towards Niya, "You'll know who to blame."

As Simon goes back to the truck, Negan couldn't help but stare over at Niya as he wondered what would lay before them. She hasn't given him any reason to distrust her, quite the opposite. Now came the most trying test of all. To see if she could not only produce results but, to see how much trust he could really place on her.


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six: Prove Your Self**

The road to Jarrett's camp was quiet despite Simmon's rendition of ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall. It ended up not being as annoying as Niya thought it would be. While he sang, she kept her eyes on their surroundings. There wasn't much to see except for trees, brush, and the occasional roaming dead men which Negan's men took care of quietly with their knives.

Turning her head, Niya opened up the back window to the cab of the truck. The sudden movement caused Simmon to startle and take interest while she asked their captive, "How far away are we?"

Jarrett looked at her through the tiny window before looking back out at his surroundings, "You know I was wondering the same thing." Simmon chirped in, "I mean, I love me a nice Sunday drive to de-stress but, there comes a time where the drive becomes redundant. Personally, for me, it's getting to that point. I'm starting to think it would be more therapeutic too -"

Before Simmon could get to what Niya could only assume was a threat of some kind Jarrett spoke up, "It's about a mile. Right up ahead."

Turning back in her seat, Niya looks over at her Shofer, "Stop the truck. We walk the rest of the way." Simon begins to chuckle, "Between you and me I'm the one wearing the pants."

Internally rolling her eyes, she reaches for the walkie talkie laying on the dash, "Between you and me neither one of us is wearing the pants. So let's call the person who is." Pressing the call button on the talkie, Niya calls out, "Negan?"

"Could you say my name one more time?"

Sighing, She presses the call button again realizing that his demeanor may be less of a show and more of just who he is, "You having trouble hearing me?"

"No trouble. I just like how it sounded coming out of your mouth."

Niya looked over at Simon, and just by the way he was smiling while keeping his eyes on the road; She could tell he was getting a kick out of the conversation.

"We are about a mile out. I think it's best if we go the rest of the way on foot. I also think It'll make the transaction a whole lot easier if you free Jarrett from his restraints."

Negan was quiet. The only thing that could be heard was Simon laughing under his breath. "Ain't no way he gonna let that fly."

"If he tries to run he won't get very far." That's all Niya had to say to remind Simon of what she did to Jarrett back at the homestead. "I just think it would look better."

"You're worried about the presentation?" Simon seemed surprised as he raised his bushy brows, "We go there with everything we got. Our trucks, our men, our guns, and their guy tied up. They do things our way and they won't end up like Jarold back there."

"Jarrett:" she corrected him before he looked over at her, "Like I give a shit Squanto."

"Stop the vehicles. We walk the rest of the way."

After Negan's words, Niya looks over at Simon who just has that face that tells her to not say a damn word but it doesn't deter her to smile as he stops the truck, and showing his frustration as he slams his door on his way out.

While she exited the vehicle Simon's voice carried as he approached Negan who was now exited the truck he was in behind them.

"You're not serious are you?" Negan looks at Simon with raised brows. It was almost like he was asking 'excuse me?', " We don't know what they have back at their camp. It's best if we move in and show them what kind of force we got so they'll think twice before fucking with us. If we go in like a bunch of sissies they'll think we're soft, and then they'll try to take advantage of us like a prison bitch."

Niya couldn't help but laugh under her breath as she helped Jarrett out of the back of the truck. He even seemed to find amusement in it as he compared Simon to a five-year-old.

Everything seemed to get quite quiet as Negan studied Simon for a moment before smiling slightly, "Sounds to me like you're more worried about your pristine ass than what exactly is going on here. Little Red needs to prove her worth. Not only to me but to everyone else here. How am I supposed to know what she can offer us if I don't give her the reigns?"

Simon's eyes darted back and forth like that was a no brainer, "Ah… You can ask. Give her a resume to fill out. I don't care. I just don't want to put my life in the hands of someone we just met and whose motivations aren't in our best interest."

"Her motivations," Negan begins as he steps closer, "Is to pay me back for saving her life. She wants to impress me. She wants to make me happy because she knows the sooner she does that, the sooner her debt will be paid. Are you gonna fuck this up for us Little Red?"

His voice got louder when he addresses Niya by his pet name her while he looks past Simon and to Niya who was approaching them with Jarrett in toe. "No Sir."

"You hear that Simon." Negan smiles, "No Sir. So lighten up, and let's find out what she brings to the table." Negan sounds optimistically excited as he slaps Simon's shoulder while he passes him and walks over to Niya like he is expecting something. Even Jarrett looks a bit confused about what exactly he is waiting to transpire.

"Negan." Niya addresses him which broadens his smile, "Sounds even better in person." He then brings his attention to Jarrett. " So according to her plan, we have to cut you lose of your restraints." This news seems to take the boy off guard which somehow puts Negan even more at ease. "You have to tell me what you're planning here Little Red because of my boys, they aren't haven't it."

Niya couldn't help but look around and see all the mistrusted faces looking back at her. It wasn't the first time she has seen those faces. Wouldn't be the last either. She wasn't a stranger to proving yourself to the boys. "You trust me?"

"I'm not dead yet so…"

Jarret laughs a bit while both Negan and Niya look at him. He then clears his throat and coughs a bit trying to erase the fact that he said anything at all.

Negan sighs a bit before looking back at Niya, "It's not about -"

"Yes, it is." She interrupts him, " I know you have a lot on the line by trusting in a stranger but so do I. If you trust me then they'll trust me enough. I'll earn the rest later."

"Look at you. Crossing the tees and dotting the eyes. Ladies first?" He gestures for her to lead the way but she shakes her head. "You're the leader, and if you're not leading then you're following. So you either lead or you walk with me."

"Can we hold hands?" Niya just looks at Negan unamused, "I think it would be good to show my boys that we are a united front."

"I think we establish that enough by walking side by side. Besides, my hands will be busy keeping Jarrett here in line."

Sighing, Negan just glances over at Jarrett, "I envy you. I truly do." He then starts moving forward which lets everyone know to move forward as well.

 **To Be Continued...**


End file.
